Pakistan the only South Asian country still struggling with polio!

India and 10 other Asian countries were formally declared polio-free by the World Health Organization (WHO) Thursday. Apart from India, the other countries which were given polio-free certificates wer

By: Nirmalya Dutta | | Updated: April 13, 2014 10:19 am

India and 10 other Asian countries were formally declared polio-free by the World Health Organization (WHO) Thursday. Apart from India, the other countries which were given polio-free certificates were Bangladesh, Bhutan, North Korea, Indonesia, the Maldives, Myanmar, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Thailand and Timor-Leste. The certificates were handed over to the health ministers of these countries by WHO Regional Director (Southeast Asia) Poonam Khetrapal Singh at a ceremony. Also Read - “Vaccines do not equal zero Covid": WHO calls for sustained efforts to control virus transmission

A country is declared polio-free by the WHO, if no case is reported for three consecutive years. India reported the last polio case in January 2011.
An independent panel of 11 experts in public health, epidemiology, virology, clinical medicine and related specialties constituting the Southeast Asia Regional Certification Commission for Polio Eradication met for two days to review evidence from the countries before reaching the decision. Also Read - WHO chief self quarantines after coming in contact with COVID-19 infected person

Union Health Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad said: ‘This (southeast Asia) is the fourth region to be certified polio-free. The distant dream of polio eradication in the region is now a reality.’ Azad said that resources were never allowed to be a problem for the campaign against polio. ‘It was an unbelievable operation. It is a significant step towards global eradication of polio.’ He said India embarked on the programme to eradicate polio 19 years ago in 1995, when the disease used to cripple more than 50,000 children in the country every year. Also Read - Ganesh Chaturthi 2020: 4 reasons an eco-friendly Ganesha is good for you

A team of 2.3 million polio volunteers and 150,000 supervisors worked day and night to reach every child, Azad said. WHO regional director Poonam Khetrapal Singh said: ‘The goal of polio eradication was made in 1988. It marks one of the biggest public health achievements.’ ‘Let us not forget that the war against polio is not over. There are two regions left where polio still needs to be eradicated,’ she added. Khetrapal Singh said the next target was to eradicate measles from the region by 2020, for which the structure put in for polio eradication can be used effectively.

The Pakistan Conundrum

There are some fears that polio could return to India through Pakistani travellers. Previously, the polio virus is reported to have travelled to Afghanistan and Syria from Pakistan. In order to ensure that it doesn’t come to India too, the Indian High Commission has issued directives stating that all Pakistani travellers must get themselves vaccinated before entering India. ‘Travellers from Pakistan to India will be required to carry their vaccination record as evidence of being vaccinate against polio. After January 30, 2014 it will be requested for entry into India ‘, a statement issued to the Pakistani media said.

‘Tremendous efforts have been put by India to set herself free from polio but its neighbour, Pakistan, is a hotbed for polio. This year too, we have 63 cases of polio in Pakistan. Nigeria and Afghanistan have reported 51 and 9 cases respectively,’ Dr Carol Pandak, director of Rotary International’s polio eradication program had earlier told DNA. (Read: Polio eradication: The show must go on)

What makes Pakistan’s battle against polio really difficult is that Islamic extremists believe that polio vaccinations are against the Islamic way of life and may even be a ploy by western countries to sterilise Islamic men. Also, there is a belief that these UN backed polio workers might be undercover CIA agents and they have been regularly killed on this suspicion.

On the brighter side, a decree was recently issued by Maulana Samiul Haq, saying that polio vaccinations were not un-Islamic. Pakistan only needs to look towards its neighbour, who has done really well in its battle against the disease, and hopefully in a few years there will be no polio cases reported in the country.

What is polio?

Polio or poliomyelitis is a communicable viral disease which affects the nerves and can lead to partial or permanent paralysis. It is transmitted through stool or saliva. The global effort to eradicate polio has been very successful and from 350,000 cases in 1988 only 40 cases were reported worldwide in 2012. There is no cure for the diseases though vaccination can prevent the disease for life. India has done remarkably in eradicating polio and from 2011 no new cases were reported. (Read more…)

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Published : March 28, 2014 10:56 am | Updated:April 13, 2014 10:19 am

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