Ayesha Raza Farooq
EACH time a drop of Polio vaccine finds its way to the gut of a child, we have taken one more step away from a world where young innocent lives are imperilled by a disease that has no cure. To most of us it may look like governments and health departments are undertaking this initiative by running vaccination drives. That may only be partly true. Each and everyone who has children and gets them vaccinated is a Polio Activist implementing this campaign. My message to parents is that you are protecting both your child and the future of the world from disability. You are part of one of the greatest public health movements in the history of human kind. It is the Power of One, that one step, that one decision that you as a parent take in seeking awareness of the vaccination drives and ensuring that your child receives the vaccination that drives this campaign. That is precisely why this campaign is about you and the decisions you take to give your families a healthful life. Therefore, if there has been progress in defeating polio or other diseases through vaccination the victory belongs to you the parent. Vaccination is the single most cost effective means of prevention from disease, saving our children from enduring a life of suffering and the catastrophic expenses incurred on treatment and rehabilitation. So clearly there is both a science and maths to it. As we step in to the year 2017 with the awareness that our struggle to squeeze out the virus from Pakistan has resulted in the least cases we have had since 2005, we are confident that we will soon be triumphant in our efforts to completely stop virus transmission. We closed 2016 with 19 cases as compared to 2015 with 54 cases and in stark contrast to 306 cases in an explosive outbreak in 2014 — a decrease of 94% since 2014 and 65 % since 2015. The current polio epidemiology remains the best we have ever seen but we need to continue with the same momentum to interrupt virus circulation. As in all eradication initiatives the virus becomes resilient before finally giving in. We must therefore not relent in our efforts and mobilise all resources- the Sehat Muhafiz, the community, opinion leaders and administrative leaders to safeguard the health of our children and the future of Pakistan. Polio eradication continues to enjoy broad political and popular support in Pakistan and we can see how this commitment has made a difference when people come together to work above political lines towards a national cause. Underpinning all of our programmatic activity has been sustained Government management and oversight at every level. Particular appreciation goes to Provincial leadership, bureaucracy who have driven these changes.
This is not easy work, the pressure is on to address the remaining challenges against demanding timelines but we should draw confidence and reassurance from the significant gains already made. This virus is under enormous pressure heading into the low season, and the same level of commitment to simultaneously strengthen routine immunization, health infrastructure development, clean drinking water, sanitation and nutrition will help us come closer to achieving our common goal of polio eradication.
We are now entering the low transmission season where the virus is most vulnerable. We must use the upcoming campaigns to reach and vaccinate every child and give the virus no place to hide. Every parent and every citizen is our soldier in taking the fight to the virus.
—The author is Senator and Prime Minister’s Focal Person for Polio Eradication.
