Hundreds miss polio vaccine at Pak-Afghan border

Matiullah Achakzai Published August 26, 2014
Abdul Rasheed, who is part has been working with the anti-polio team for the last four years, says he administers the drops to nearly 600 hundred children daily. -Photo by Matiullah Achakzai
Abdul Rasheed, who is part has been working with the anti-polio team for the last four years, says he administers the drops to nearly 600 hundred children daily. -Photo by Matiullah Achakzai
According to Rasheed, though, hundreds of children have missed the drive after his team ran out of the vaccine a week ago. -Photo by Matiullah Achakzai
According to Rasheed, though, hundreds of children have missed the drive after his team ran out of the vaccine a week ago. -Photo by Matiullah Achakzai
Haji Raz Muhammad, a 64-year-old Afghan national from the province of Helmand, carries his grandson into Pakistan. Muhammad, who, was travelling to Balochistan's capital Quetta, said he wanted to get his grandson vaccinated but was worried because it was not available. -Photo by Matiullah Achakzai
Haji Raz Muhammad, a 64-year-old Afghan national from the province of Helmand, carries his grandson into Pakistan. Muhammad, who, was travelling to Balochistan's capital Quetta, said he wanted to get his grandson vaccinated but was worried because it was not available. -Photo by Matiullah Achakzai
Haji Abdul Manan, a resident of the Afghan province of Kandahar, carries his child towards the Friendship Gate on Pak-Afghan border. Going to his home in Kandahar from Chaman, Manan said he fully supported the anti-polio drive but missed the campaign in both Afghanistan and Pakistan because of his travels. -Photo by Matiullah Achakzai
Haji Abdul Manan, a resident of the Afghan province of Kandahar, carries his child towards the Friendship Gate on Pak-Afghan border. Going to his home in Kandahar from Chaman, Manan said he fully supported the anti-polio drive but missed the campaign in both Afghanistan and Pakistan because of his travels. -Photo by Matiullah Achakzai
Hundreds of families travel between Pak-Afghan border daily. The Afghan families coming into Pakistan usually go to Quetta and Karachi. -Photo by Matiullah Achakzai
Hundreds of families travel between Pak-Afghan border daily. The Afghan families coming into Pakistan usually go to Quetta and Karachi. -Photo by Matiullah Achakzai
According to Unicef`s chief of field office Rahama Mohammad, constant presence of virus in environmental samples of Quetta this year is alarming. -Photo by Matiullah Achakzai
According to Unicef`s chief of field office Rahama Mohammad, constant presence of virus in environmental samples of Quetta this year is alarming. -Photo by Matiullah Achakzai
According to an Afghan national, the health department of both sides needed to act immediately to address the shortage of the vaccine on the border. -Photo by Matiullah Achakzai
According to an Afghan national, the health department of both sides needed to act immediately to address the shortage of the vaccine on the border. -Photo by Matiullah Achakzai
Health Director of Afghan province Kandahar Dr Abdul Qayum Pokhala said both countries were facing similar issues and none could eradicate the polio virus alone. -Photo by Matiullah Achakzai
Health Director of Afghan province Kandahar Dr Abdul Qayum Pokhala said both countries were facing similar issues and none could eradicate the polio virus alone. -Photo by Matiullah Achakzai
A fresh case of polio was found in Balochistan's Killa Abdullah district in July this year, the province's first case after a period of two-and-a-half years. -Photo by Matiullah Achakzai
A fresh case of polio was found in Balochistan's Killa Abdullah district in July this year, the province's first case after a period of two-and-a-half years. -Photo by Matiullah Achakzai

In July this year, Pakistan and Afghanistan agreed to strengthen mutual cooperation for making anti-polio campaign in border areas of the two countries effective. But the last week alone has seen hundreds of families traveling between the two countries miss the drive after the vaccine ran out at the Friendship Gate near the Chaman border. According to Balochistan`s Minister for Health Rehmat Baloch, an estimated 800 children are vaccinated every day. -Photos and text by Matiullah Achakzai

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Comments (3) Closed
indian muslim
Aug 26, 2014 02:51pm
Hope fellow Muslim countries come out of stone age and emerge stronger to counter the anti Muslim forces in the region and the world.
Recommend 0
Random stranger
Aug 26, 2014 09:45pm
There should be better border control before the situation gets out of hand.
Recommend 0
Subhash
Aug 28, 2014 04:52pm
Beautiful and colorful people. Children are very cute. Everyone looks happy and no one is looking interested in so called religious extremism. This is how people of subcontinent should showcased to rest of the world.
Recommend 0

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