REPRESENTATIVES of the government and international donor agencies who met in Karachi the other day have expressed their reservations about the efficacy of the annual anti-polio drives and the overall public immunisation programme targeting children. The problem is particularly serious in Sindh, recent statistics reveal. The highest number of polio cases, 30 to be precise, in the country have been reported from this province alone this year. Certainly, all is not well with the inoculation initiative. The moot was also told that the teams administering the antipolio drops lacked enough women workers who go door to door to immunise children under five years of age. Male health workers are not always welcome inside the homes where women may observe purdah. Besides, certain logistic and clinical aspects, such as maintaining the cold chain of the vaccine, making an assessment as to which child may need intravenous administration and for whom the oral vaccinewill suffice or keeping track of when a booster dose should be administered, also remain largely unaddressed.
While the shortage of women health workers tasked with administering the vaccine and the need for more clinical vigilance can be met by pumping more funds into the immunisation programme, another critical aspect of the problem is social attitudes tied to lack of awareness, culturalissues and even certain taboos that have come to be attached to immunisation. There is absolutely no truth, for instance, in the rumours spread by certain sections of society that immunisation may cause infertility. The only way to negate such false propaganda is to formulate and implement a cohesive public communication and awareness strategy by involving local communities where needed. Failing this, Pakistan will continue to be one of the three highrisk countries in the world where polio and other preventable diseases still claim victims.
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