No end to the polio curse

PAKISTAN had hoped that by 2008 the curse of polio would become a ghost of the past. Since January, the malaise has returned with a vengeance to haunt both children and health departments. Reports reveal that six polio cases have come to light this week. Disturbingly, one of the victims, an 11-month-old infant, had missed the last dose of the polio vaccination. In another instance, a child specialist near Faisalabad has been suspended for spilling the beans about the rise in polio cases to the media; especially when the concerned area of Samundhri tehsil has received millions of rupees for immunisation of under-fives. The government’s crackdown on an ‘errant’ doctor is being seen as a warning to health practitioners to keep polio statistics under wraps. As expected, a polio-free state is far from a mean task as 45 per cent of the country’s population comprises children with approximately over two million children in Karachi alone. In May, Sindh’s health department announced that it would field its own team to monitor the dispensation of anti-polio vaccines in its ‘mop-up’ campaign for 3.7m children in 14 districts of the province. Meanwhile, the Expanded Programme on Immunisation (EPI) also issued directives to heighten the surveillance of the disease. But repeated incidents of polio and the suspension of the doctor question the sincerity of governmental initiatives. Increasingly, health experts are laying the blame for the recurrence of cases on poor supervision, absence of collective commitment and pilfering of funds. Their scepticism stems from the fact that, despite official claims of unleashing close to 20,000 teams for door-to-door visits, residents complain that numerous houses are overlooked and if children in a particular home are away, the designated staff rarely revisits them.At this stage, many dark shadows loom over our polio drives. There is mounting concern that refugees from northern areas may be carriers of the virus and ample uncertainty about the efficiency of health personnel as little can justify cases in impoverished areas of urban centres. There is a need for a body to oversee the EPI and WHO, evaluate their activities, implement accountability and ensure security of funds. Also, dispensation methods involve a cold chain; vaccines require storage in ice boxes and deviation from prescribed temperatures renders them ineffective. But while there is plenty to tabulate numbers of the ‘immunised’, precious little ascertains the adequate preservation of shots. As the battle enters its 14th year, every ‘excuse’ only stirs disdain.