WHO detects three polio cases in Quetta

The Baloch Hal News

QUETTA: The World Health Organization (WHO) in collaboration with the Government of Pakistan has detected three polio cases in the metropolis of Balochistan.

In an interview with on Thursday, WHO Representative Dr Abdul Ghaffar Khan Baloch said total three polio cases were detected in Quetta across the province. Elaborating the details, he said that a WHO team recently detected polio P3 polio virus in a 35-month-old baby identified as Nazima whom family is living in Kuchlak area. “P3 polio virus was also detected in 14-month old baby identified as Nasibullah in Balili area and in 24-months-old baby identified as Gul Zaman in Pushtoonabad locality,” he said.

He disclosed that families of the three affected children had been visiting Afghanistan for many times. He maintained that children Nasibullah and Gul Zaman infected with P3 polio virus from Kandhar in Afghanistan and girl Nazima infected with the virus when her family visited Helmand in Afghanistan. He narrated that two of three families are old settlers Afghan refugees who had settled in Quetta permanently but used to visit Afghanistan and third is local Pushtoon family who also visited Afghanistan.

When asked whether WHO and Health Department teams never bother to administer anti-polio vaccine to the children, he replied that EPI teams had visited houses of the families for many times but they denied to allow administer the vaccine to their children.

Highlighting the families’ refusal, he said there are three factors due to which such families deny allowing administering vaccine to their children.

“Those people, who are extreme religious, usually do not allow WHO and Health Department teams to administer anti-polio drops to their children as they take it as a sin. Secondly, some people think that anti-polio vaccine links to family planning and when their children become young and get married, they would be barren due to the immunization in their past. Third factor is that a number of people take anti-polio drive as a conspiracy against Muslims hatched by Jews,” WHO Representative narrated.

He was asked whether after detection of polio virus in girl Nazima, have you called on her family? He replied, “Yes, I met her father who has been repenting a lot and accusing himself for suffering of her daughter from P3 polio virus. Nazima’s father said that he is a prosperous person but due to some reservations, he never allowed EPI teams to administer anti-polio vaccine to her daughter.”

Dr Baloch recalled that Al-Azhar University Egypt and a lot of number of religious scholars across the Muslim world had given Fatwa that according to Shariah immunization to children against deadly diseases is legitimate and parents should get their children immunized. There is need to launch an awareness campaign to convince parents that vaccination to children is not anti-religion action as still there is number of people who consider it anti-Islam.

He said that in Western countries, citizens themselves bring their children to health centers for vaccination but in our country, parents do not bother even to visit nearby hospital where WHO and the Government of Pakistan provide the vaccines free of cost.

He mentioned that detection of polio virus in Jacobabad, Sukkur, Noshehro Feroze and other Interior Sindh’s cities is higher than Balochistan. “Every year, in summer season, hundreds of nomad families used to shift to Quetta from these Interior Sindh’s cities and they also brought polio virus with them. It is a reality that they also caused infection of polio virus to Quetta’ children,” he said.

He lamented that sanitation condition in Quetta city is very poor. No measures were taken to cover drains passing through city streets which had become growth places for virus of various deadly diseases. He emphasized the need to take immediate steps to cover drains and storm water drains in Quetta in the line with Karachi.

He noted that population of Quetta city had surged to over 2.5 million against over 0.9 million in 1998. Permanent settlement of Afghan refugees and people who shifted Quetta from Northern and Central Balochistan to earn living caused enhancement in Quetta’s population, he maintained. The government should pay special attention to upgrade sanitation system in Quetta if it wants to halt possible threat of outbreak of epidemic in the city, he added.

Present on the occasion, EPI Program Representative Dr Muhammad Ismael Mirani told APP the government had to cost one PENTA of vaccine at Rs1200 which is provide to every child free of cost. He regretted the government was spending billions of rupees in respect of purchase of vaccines for children but parents are avoiding administering these free of cost vaccines to their children.

He feared that detection of polio virus amongst Quetta’s children in month of March is an alarm as period from January to March is considered a low transmission period regarding infection and epidemic while period from June to October is considered high transmission period.

Dr Mirani viewed that poor performance of non-technical management in Health Department also caused infection of virus to children. Giving example, he said that if an EDO Health has not knowledge about schedule and quantity of vaccine and other technical matters, how, he could implement the EPI program in letter and spirits. He stressed the need to involve only technically trained medical staff in immunization campaign.

Commenting on news published in a section of newspapers that no payment could be made to teams by the provincial headquarters who administered anti-polio drops to children in last campaign, he said that yet no payment funds were released to the provincial headquarters from Islamabad headquarters and the payment would be made to the teams as the Islamabad headquarters releases their payments to the provincial headquarters which is expected soon.

He revealed that total 0.470 million children of Quetta would get immunization in anti-polio drive to be launched from 15th March 2010. He recalled that in last campaign, total 945 teams headed by 180 supervisors were constituted to immunize the children and 12 monitors from WHO monitored the campaign. He appealed to parents to ensure the immunization to their children in upcoming anti-polio campaign.