Islamabad: With the Technical Advisory Group on Polio Eradication meeting next week and the International Health Regulations Emergency Committee on Polio set to be convened on September 16, the Pakistan Polio Programme is in for a harsh and unforgiving appraisal of its performance as it brings to the table, a dismal record of 58 polio cases up until August 2019 as against only 4 cases during the corresponding months in 2018.Pakistan’s current polio count is the highest in a year after the mega-outbreak of 2014 that ended with 306 cases. The country reported 54 cases in 2015, which declined to 20 cases in 2016, further down to 8 in 2017, and then up to 12 in 2018. The number of cases in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) has now risen to 44; of these, 32 cases have been reported from Bannu Division alone. The situation in KP requires unprecedented measures as poliovirus transmission spirals out of control.The situation in Sindh also merits microscopic attention. The conspicuous absence of the Chief Minister of Sindh from the high-level polio meeting chaired by the Prime Minister on August 21 remains inexplicable as he is the only CM who himself chairs all provincial task force meetings in the province. Grapevine has it that he was not invited for fear of criticism on careless handling of one of the most strategic health programmes with an international bearing. He has, nonetheless, sought a detailed report from the programme about the latest two cases confirmed in Sindh. Through the Secretary Health, he has sought an explanation on when the two children were last immunized against polio; why they have acquired the disease if they had had the polio vaccine; who is to be held answerable if the children did not receive the drops; and what measures were taken in case these were refusal cases.‘The News’ has credible information that the detection and notification of cases is being deliberately delayed as a strategic choice. According to a polio programme official who wished to remain anonymous but risked sharing this information in the interest of child protection, such delays in detection of cases impacts timely response, which resultantly provides an ideal window for the nasty virus to replicate.The monthly profile shared by the National EOC states, “The Polio Eradication Programme continues to monitor virus presence via 60 environmental sampling sites across the country.” Over the past seven months as of July, up to 40% of the environmental samples had tested positive for poliovirus.A comparative study of the number of polio cases in 2018-19 shows that last year, Pakistan had reported only 3 cases up until July 2018 as against 53 cases up until July 2019; the number stands at 58 now as of August 25, 2019. The proportion of positive environmental samples has increased from 14% in July 2018 to 44% in July 2019. Similarly, the number of infected districts has more than doubled, rising from 20 in July 2018 to 42 in July 2019.The graphic depiction of the percentage of refusals during nationwide campaigns conducted from 2015 to 2019 is an eye-opener itself. Refusals remained well within 0.05 to 0.11% for most of the months, but increased to an alarming 2.54% during the April 2019 National Immunization Days.Polio officials maintain that till mid-2018, polio workers were encouraged to report refusals with reasons, thereby enabling the programme to map refusal clusters and use appropriate influencers to overcome the challenge. Later on, when unnecessary pressure and a threatening attitude was adopted, the workers not only resorted to reporting an ‘all is well’ situation but also indulged in fake finger-marking. Contrary to programme policy, Deputy Commissioners were pushed to use of force.The sudden outburst during the April 2019 NID was a result of the Peshawar debacle, which many believe was deliberately staged and controlled to secure more funding for the programme. Experts also believe that the polio hierarchy is so addicted to drawing hefty salaries that it actually does not want polio to be eliminated. Being at the helm of this programme has also helped many self-serving individuals to expand their own network and clout for self-promotion. For them, polio eradication never was and never will be a priority.With one completed year in position, it is time Pakistan’s senior political leadership seriously deliberated on ways to protect the future generations from the scourge of polio paralysis. If the present trends continue, there are bleak chances of the country obtaining riddance from polio even in the next 10 years.
from The News International - Islamabad https://ift.tt/322Ffbm
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