The Independent Monitoring Board (IMB) for Polio, while comparing Pakistan’s different strategies against COVID-19 and Polio, rightly asked our government about its inability to eradicate polio. One can only agree that the country should be able to handle polio as well, now that the government has proved that it can bring the pandemic under control. Sadly, we have recorded 82 cases of type-I and 104 of type-II poliovirus this year. The numbers will grow further as the year has yet to conclude. Since 2019, Pakistan has been struggling against the rising number of polio cases. And not learning lessons from the last year, the health departments’ and concerned authorities’ performance is below par in 2020.
If the fear of COVID can prompt the government to activate all its resources against the pandemic, why is polio, which is crippling our future, not taken seriously? Our inability to curtail the spread of the type-II virus, according to the experts, is a threat to other countries as well. Iran has already become vulnerable since type-II has already been detected in sewage there. As if being the only country unable to eradicate polio was not enough, Pakistan is now blamed for spreading it to other countries. Polio eradication bodies have been saying this long ago that Pakistan’s inability to curtail the virus can make neighbouring countries vulnerable.
The government needs to take extra precaution to handle the already problematic situation before it gets any worse. The Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on Health Dr Faisal Sultan needs to give more of his attention to the worsening numbers of polio cases in the country. The biggest hurdle in making strides against the virus are still refusals of parents to administer the vaccine. If the state can ensure vaccinating every vulnerable child, defeating polio can become a reality.