Pakistan logs 40th polio case in 2024: Why it fails to curb this endemic?

An infectious disease, Polio can cause crippling paralysis among young children. It has been virtually eradicated from the world, except for Pakistan and Afghanistan

Pakistan has logged its 40th polio case this year after a child from Kohat district in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa contracted Type-I of the poliovirus, Dawn news reported on Thursday. The news came on the eve of World Polio Day, observed on October 24 to raise awareness about this health crisis.

 

An infectious disease, Polio causes crippling paralysis among young children. It has been virtually eradicated from the world through comprehensive efforts of decades-long vaccination drives. However, Pakistan and Afghanistan are the last remaining countries where it is still endemic. 

 

To deal with the crisis, Pakistan plans to launch a nationwide polio drive to immunise over 4.5 million children from Friday. The latest Kohat case is the second in the region, bringing the total count to an alarming figure of 40 in Pakistan. 

 

Pakistan will launch the polio vaccination programme in three phases, starting in Sindh province. The next phase will commence in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa on October 28 and the final phase in Punjab, Balochistan, and Islamabad on November 11.

Who is vulnerable to polio virus?

Polio is caused by a virus that mainly affects children under the age of five and can lead to irreversible paralysis in a matter of hours (usually in legs). One in 200 infections lead to irreversible paralysis, the World Health Organization says. The virus is transmitted mainly through faecal and oral routes or, less frequently, by contaminated water or food.

Why has Pakistan failed to eradicate polio?

According to a paper published in the US-backed National Library of Medicine, poor health systems, insecurity among people and misconceptions are the reason behind Pakistan and Afghanistan’s failure to defeat this endemic. These two nations, considered exporters of wild polio, have formed a single epidemiological block due to cross-border population movement. This results in the flow of viruses in both directions.

 

The presence of militant organisations such as Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) has also been blamed for derailing the polio eradication programme by spreading the conspiracy theory. This scepticism was fueled by the US’ Central Intelligence Agency’s (CIA) fake vaccination program in Pakistan to verify whether Osama bin Laden was holed up in Abbottabad city.

 

Another reason behind the poor promotion of polio vaccination is the misconception among parents that it is made using certain ingredients, considered sinful according to Islamic beliefs. The fear of safety among vaccinators is further fuelling this crisis.