HOW unfortunate that just a day after the year’s second nationwide polio campaign began, a third case was reported from Bannu, KP. In fact, all three cases in 2023 have surfaced from Bannu’s Ghaura Baka Khel. Polio is endemic in seven districts of southern KP, with no case reported from outside the territory since January 2021. Why has this region been left behind? Although progress has been made this year in driving the numbers down — there were 20 cases in 2022 — every child affected is one child too many. So what are the authorities missing? Health Minister Dr Nadeem Jan says that in recent testing, of 34 samples, “90pc were imported from Afghanistan”. This points to the need for coordinated efforts to ensure polio eradication in both nations. It won’t do to simply point fingers externally.

We must introspect. Why does the eradication of this crippling disease remain an elusive dream? Are there sociocultural barriers specific to the region that are obstacles to vaccine administration? Some view vaccination to be a Western plot to ‘sterilise’ people. And vaccine hesitation shot up after 2011 when the US Central Intelligence Agency, with a fake hepatitis vaccination programme, sought to gather intel on Osama bin Laden. A Sindh government bill proposes jailing or fining parents not getting their children inoculated, but many disagree with punishing people. There are other things to consider as well. Are health workers able to access all areas or do pockets go unattended? It must be factored in that these workers are routinely attacked, with TTP militants even sending suicide bombers to deter them. Eradicating polio remains a colossal task, but it is a fight we cannot afford to lose. The stakes are high, and the cost of inaction even higher. It’s time for a multipronged strategy that addresses both internal challenges and cross-border complications. Only then can we hope to fulfil the dream of a polio-free Pakistan.

Published in Dawn, October 7th, 2023