Ashima Sharda Mahindra • 23 Oct 2024
Why Are Polio Cases Rising In Pakistan Where A New Vaccination Drive Is Going To Start Soon?
The new campaign would begin from next week onwards seeking to vaccinate more than 32 million children to make them free of the disease – caused by poliovirus
Polio cases in Pakistan are rising even as a new vaccination campaign is about to start amid instances of violence targeting health workers and the police protecting them. Years of such attacks have hampered years of efforts towards making the country polio-free.
Since January this year, the National Emergency Operation Centre for Polio Eradication has confirmed 39 new cases of polio in Pakistan – as compared to six last year.
The new campaign would begin from next week onwards seeking to vaccinate more than 32 million children to make them free of the disease caused by poliovirus. Most people have no symptoms or mild symptoms, but some become paralyzed. Wild poliovirus types 2 and 3 are eradicated, but type 1 still spreads in some parts of the world – including Pakistan and Afghanistan.
“The whole purpose of these campaigns is to achieve the target of making Pakistan a polio-free state,” said Anwarul Haq from the NEOC for Polio Eradication.
Attacks on health workers and police hamper vaccination drives
Every year, the government launches against polio despite attacks on the workers and police assigned to the inoculation drives. Militants falsely claim that vaccination campaigns are a Western conspiracy to sterilize children.
News reports say most of the new cases are usually reported from southwestern Balochistan and southern Sindh provinces – along with Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and eastern Punjab. Authorities have expressed worry over these incidents, as previously there were such cases from the restive northwest bordering Afghanistan, where the Taliban government in September suddenly stopped a door-to-door vaccination campaign.
Pakistani authorities have time and again blamed the Taliban, saying their decision will have major repercussions as people from both sides frequently travel to each other's country.
Cases rising in Afghanistan as well
According to the World Health Organization, at least 18 polio cases have been confirmed in the country this year – that is, up to six cases in 2023. Afghanistan used a house-to-house vaccination strategy this June for the first time in five years, a tactic that helped to reach the majority of children targeted, according to WHO.
Health officials in Pakistan say they want both sides to conduct anti-polio drives simultaneously.
How does polio affect?
According to experts, poliovirus gets into your body through your mouth or nose – making copies of itself and reproducing in your throat and gut. In a few cases, the virus also gets into your brain and spinal cord and causes paralysis. Paralysis can affect your arms, legs, or the muscles that control your breathing.
You can be most at risk of polio if you are not vaccinated and you:
- Live in or travel to an area where polio has not been eliminated
- Live in or travel to an area with poor sanitation
- Are under 5 years of age
- Are pregnant
Which strains of polio have been eliminated?
Doctors say wild poliovirus types 2 and 3 are globally eradicated – which means there are no naturally occurring cases anymore. Poliovirus type 1 has been eliminated in most countries, except Pakistan and Afghanistan.
Signs and symptoms of polio
According to experts – around 70-95 per cent of those infected do not have any symptoms. However, a few of these include:
- Fatigue
- High fever
- Headache
- Vomiting
- Diarrhoea and constipation
- Sore throat
- Neck stiffness
- Sensitivity to light
- Muscle spasms
- Bulbar poliomyelitis which makes it hard to breathe, swallow, and speak
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