Rising polio cases shadow vaccination campaign in Pak.
- October 22, 2024
- Posted by: OptimizeIAS Team
- Category: DPN Topics
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Rising polio cases shadow vaccination campaign in Pak.
Sub: IR
Sec: Places in news
Context:
- Polio cases in Pakistan have seen a concerning increase, with health officials confirming 39 new cases since January 2023.
- This is a significant rise compared to only six cases reported in the same period last year.
- The country is preparing for a new vaccination campaign starting on October 28, aimed at vaccinating at least 32 million children and making Pakistan a polio free state.
Challenges to vaccination:
- Violence against health workers and the police tasked with protecting them has severely hampered vaccination efforts in Pakistan.
- Health workers often face threats and attacks from militants who propagate false narratives about the vaccines being a western conspiracy to sterilize children. This hostility poses a significant barrier to eradicating polio.
- The Taliban recently decided to halt a door-to-door vaccination campaign in Afghanistan. Given the close cross-border movement between the two countries, this decision could have severe repercussions for Pakistan’s polio eradication efforts.
Geographical Concerns:
- The majority of new polio cases have emerged from Balochistan and Sindh provinces, followed by Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Punjab.
- This shift in the geographic distribution of cases is alarming, especially since previous outbreaks were primarily concentrated in the northwest region bordering Afghanistan.
About Polio:
- Polio, or poliomyelitis, is a highly infectious viral disease caused by the poliovirus.
- It primarily affects children under five and can lead to paralysis, disability, or even death.
- There is no cure for the disease, but it can be prevented with the polio vaccine.
- Symptoms: In most cases, mild symptoms like fever, fatigue or no symptoms. However, in severe cases it can lead to paralysis and death.
- Transmission: The virus spreads through oral-faecal route. Direct person-to-person contact can also transmit the virus.
- Prevention: Vaccination is the most effective way to prevent polio. Two types of vaccines Inactivated poliovirus (IPV) and Oral polio vaccine (OPV) are available against polio virus.
Current Status:
- Polio has been eradicated in most parts of the world, with only a few countries, notably Afghanistan and Pakistan reporting ongoing transmission.
- Afghanistan and Pakistan are the two countries in which the spread of polio has never been stopped.