2.451 m children to be administered anti polio drops
- December 16, 2016, 10:13 pm
- National News
- 191 Views
QUETTA Dec 16 (PPI): Over 2.451 million children would be administered anti polio drops by during three-day campaign commencing from Dec 19, 2016 against the crippling poliomyelitis virus that remains chronic to Pakistan and Afghanistan.
This was stated by Dr. Aftab N-Stop Provincial Leader while briefing media persons regarding the synchronization of efforts underway to fight the virus. He said that the campaign would cover 30 districts of the province to ensure that the province doesn’t become either a polio chronic zone or a carrier of it to other regions of the world.
Referring to the history of the virus, he said that amongst the prominent cases US president Franklin D. Roosevelt is worth mentioning who caught the virus at the age of 39, adding that due to introduction of immunity the virus doesn’t affect the elders anymore but they can be carriers of it.
He said that in the year 1998, there were 0.5 million cases worldwide that reduced to mere 35 in 2016, adding that Among countries where the diseases remain chronic which include Pakistan and Afghanistan, Nigeria declared itself polio free two years ago, but 04 new cases emerged this year in the country. He said that Balochistan has gained successes in containing the virus effectively and the cases which numbered 06 in 2015 are reduced to mere 01 in 2016.
He was of the view that the cases mostly occur in the bordering towns that connect Balochistan either with Afghanistan or with other provinces of the country and there these towns are the focal point in the campaign.
He said that as many as 50,000 thousand children were vaccinated during the past one month only at Friendship Gate Chaman, and if the figures of the Afghanistan teams are included in cross border vaccinations, they rise to 100,000 children being administered immunization drops.
He said that the movement across the border ranges to 35 thousand daily, adding that environmental samples have been collected from 7 points in the provincial capital alone, which is included in Quetta bloc that comprises three districts: Quetta, Pishin and Killa Abdullah.
He explained the reasons of pressure on Pakistan for the eradication of the virus, saying that since the population of Pakistan becomes a carrier of the virus while travelling abroad, the world is apprehensive about the virus be entrenched in Pakistan. He said that in 2007 a Pakistani student carried virus to Australia and in 2011 as many as 21 samples belonging to Pakistan were found positive. He said that a sample was found positive in Egypt, in 2013 14 in Syria all belonging to Pakistan, adding that this makes it difficult for the countries like Syria and Gaza to combat the virus in an effective way if it is carried there owing to conflicts simmering in those countries incessantly.
Discussing the refusal cases, he said that they are categorized in 3 types—the direct refusals, the silent refusals and the refusals whose parents pretend their children are not home, adding that however, by involving local community in the campaign, such cases too have been tackled.
He said that religious refusals form the bulk still 52%, refusals based on misconception include 15%, refusal irritated by repeated campaigns, 10%, refusals based on other demands of their livelihood than health 03%, direct refusals, 09%.
Speaking on the occasion, provincial coordinator Dr. Atta-ur-Rehman said that they have been working to convince the Ulema and have clinched astounding success in this regard, adding that as many as 200 Ulema were working in Quetta bloc alone to defeat the virus.
He said that in Islam Children are a trust with the parents and their killing or making arrangements thereof is prohibited. He quoted a verse from Holy Quran which translated: “O, You People, do not kill thy children.†He said that this reference was to the parents to provide better treatment facilities to their children rather than pushing them towards death by denying them the right to treatment and prevention from diseases. He said that it was no more than a disaster that 4,7000 thousand children perish each year before they could reach the age of 05 year of curable diseases, adding that this reflects the numbness of our society towards the plight of children. He said that the refusals in Pakistan were 70,000 out of which 30 thousand were covered in 2014.
He also referred to the pathetic maternal healthcare arrangements in Balochistan saying that 700 mothers perish during delivery cases each year in Balochistan. Seconding the apprehensions of WHO to restrict the movement of Pakistanis outside country, he said that it is in consonance with a Hadith of Holy Prophet which reads: “No one should enter or allowed to leave an epidemic hit area.â€
Maulana Anwar-ul-Haq Haqqani, speaking on the occasion, said that he had personally met with local Ulema at their seminaries, including Syed Abdul Sattar Shah, and have convinced them of the efficacy of the vaccination.
