ISLAMABAD: As World Polio Day — being observed around the world today — provides an opportunity to highlight efforts towards a polio-free world, Pakistan has seen the number of cases rise by 20 times in less than 10 months of this year.

The country had earlier managed to bring down the number of cases to just one in 2021.

All the 20 cases surfaced so far this year have been reported from Khyber Pakh­tunkhwa, while Balochi­stan, which detected one case in 2021, has been polio-free.

Official data shows that the number of cases dropped from 147 in 2019 to 84 in 2020, down to just one in 2021, but during the current year the Ministry of National Health Services (NHS) figures revealed that 20 cases of wild poliovirus have been reported.

When contacted, a senior health ministry official requesting anonymity said that unfortunately, efforts against the poliovirus had never been ‘owned’ by successive governments in Pakistan. He alleged their major focus was on securing funding rather than eliminating the crippling disease.

Pakistan and Afgha­nistan are the only countries where polio cases are being reported.

Global health security expert Dr Nadeem Jan told Dawn there was no system of across-the-board accoun­t­a­bility in polio programme.

“Field workers here have been working and putting their life at stake for less than three dollars a day and they are sacked in case of small issues. On the other hand, during last over two decades, high-ups of programme never faced any accountability rather they were transferred or promoted from Pakistan to Geneva or some other country,” he added.

He believed polio programme should adopt an integrated approach rather than a vertical one across the country.

About the integrated approach, Dr Jan said all health facilities, including mother and child health, should be put under one roof.

“If the same person visits a house to provide all health-related facilities, there will be no or less resistance against vaccination,” he said, while referring to the reluctance shown by some people to get their children vaccinated.

Published in Dawn, October 24th, 2022