ISLAMABAD: Immigration staff deputed at Benazir Bhutto International Airport says misconception about polio vaccination forces passengers, traveling abroad, to show fake vaccination certificates.

As many as 150 certificates turned out to be counterfeit since June when the certificate restriction was imposed. They were confiscated and after vaccination new cards were issued to the passengers, Dawn has learnt.

An official deputed at airport requesting not to be identified said that a number of persons who still believed that polio vaccination was injurious to health.

“On Wednesday, Mohammad Alamgir from Kohat, who wanted to go to Middle East, was stopped by the immigration staff when he showed a fake card to immigration staff,” he said.

After a few minutes interrogation, the passenger confessed that he was holding a fake card, which was sold to him by a photocopier for Rs200. In the end a new card was issued to him after vaccination and he was allowed to go abroad. However, his contact number, address and whereabouts of the photocopier were noted, he said.

On May 5, World Health Organisation (WHO) declared it mandatory for Pakistan passengers to receive at least one dose of anti-polio vaccine, since the country was accused of exporting the virus to other regions. Along with the travel advisory, the government was suggested to issue certificates to travellers assuring that they had received the vaccine.

“Mr Alamgir is not the only person who produced fake polio vaccination certificate. It cannot be said that how many passengers proceeded abroad without vaccination,” the airport official said.

“Moreover, we are not authorised to stop those persons who do not have polio travel card. We can only guide them to get vaccination and then proceed to airplane,” he said.

“After first June, we issued almost 2,000 vaccination cards in a day. We also faced vaccine shortage,” he said.

“At times when passengers fail to produce vaccination card they are stopped. They also lose temper with airport officials and shout at them. At the moment we have vaccine for only those passengers who want to go abroad in emergency but still people who book their flight 15 days prior to travel, come to airport without polio cards,” he said.

“We have tried to convince people that vaccine is in their own benefit but they do not understand. I believe that issue can only be resolved if government decide that every person has to get vaccination card before applying for the visa,” he said.An official of Prime Minister’s Polio Monitoring and Coordination Cell, who is not authorised to speak on record, said people looked for shortcuts to everything.

“Recently Saudi Arabia has donated 10 million doses of polio vaccine for Pakistanis traveling abroad. Now there should be no issue of polio vaccine for people who intend to travel abroad but they should get it from hospital and should not defame Pakistan,” he said.

“We are the only nation which has failed to control the disease. Ministry of National Health Services (NHS) should also devise a strategy to address the issue,” he said.

Director General Ministry of NHS Qazi Abdus Saboor while talking to Dawn said that ministry was trying to address the issue by giving awareness to people.

“I was not aware of fake vaccination cards. I will ask the airport officials to take legal action against the persons who show counterfeit cards because this is the only way to stop the people from this practice,” he said.

Published in Dawn, July 10th , 2014