PESHAWAR, Sept 25: Two cases of polio were detected in the North Waziristan during the first week of the current month, while another one had earlier been diagnosed in the Khyber Agency, said an official.
He said the number of cases might be higher as it was difficult to reach the far-flung areas and examine the children there due to lack of staff and vehicles.
The Expanded Programme on Immunization has 341 staff members for the Federally Administered Tribal Areas spread over 27,220 square-kilometres.
Despite the scant resources, the officials claim they have been vaccinating 705,000 children every year for the seven targeted diseases, whereas 784,000 pregnant women get anti-tetanus vaccine per annum. Children under the age of five are also vaccinated against diarrhoea.
Officials said the Rs120 given to the workers per day during immunization campaigns were insufficient for hiring vehicles in Fata.
The EPI directorate of Fata is expected to get Rs85 million under Microsoft owner Bill Gates-funded , through which 174 posts would be created over five years. But the amount, the officials believe, is not enough to achieve the targets.
Officials said they needed more staff and logistics support to stem the spread of polio. Even the two EPI deputy directors, who are required to supervise the spot activities of the field workers in Fata, are without vehicles.
In 1998, when Fata got a separate directorate for the EPI, it had seven vehicles, which are now used by the agency surgeons.
“The three polio-affected children may have got the anti-polio drops, but lack of electricity may have rendered them ineffective as they needed to be kept at a certain temperature,” said the official.
The department has not been allocated funds for the repair of compressors and purchase of equipment for the past 20 years, which has adversely affected its performance.
Recently, the department demanded the purchase of two vehicles under the Global Alliance for Vaccination and Immunization programme, but it was rejected by the finance department.
Officials say they have to visit remote areas and stay there for two or three days during the national immunization days, but there are no arrangements for the purpose.
There are no women among the department’s staff in Fata and the tribesmen disallow the men’s door-to-door visits.
The officials said an EPI technician was beaten up by the people in the Mohmand Agency recently and the local clergy had been creating hurdles in the anti-polio campaigns.
They said they had to carry out special campaigns in 5km radius in the areas where a case was detected.
