‘Refusal major cause of Balochistan polio cases’

Published November 1, 2014
A polio immunisation worker gives vaccine drops to a young girl. — AFP/File Photo
A polio immunisation worker gives vaccine drops to a young girl. — AFP/File Photo

QUETTA: Refusal on the part of parents remained the underlying factor behind increasing cases of polio in Balochistan, Pakistan's sparsely populated province. Most of the polio cases have been reported from Quetta and district Killa Abdullah that borders with Afghanistan.

Hitherto, 10 polio cases have been reported from Quetta and other parts of Balochistan, an official said.

Dr Ishaq Panezai, the Manager Extended Program on Immunisation told Dawn.com that five cases were reported from Quetta, four from district Killa Abdullah and one case was reported from district Zhob. “Refusal is the key reason behind increasing polio cases,” he added.

Balochistan remained polio free for almost more than two years. However, first case of this crippling virus was reported on July 24 this year from Maizai Addah area of Killa Abdullah.

In 2011, 22 polio cases were reported from Killa Abdullah out of total 73 from all over Balochistan, Rehmat Baloch, the provincial health minister said. “That was the worst year for Balochistan,” he added.

Balochistan Health Department, in collaboration with UNICEF and WHO, recently conducted three days anti-polio program in Quetta and other five districts of Balochistan. According to sources in health department, 850,000 children were provided anti-polio drops during the campaign.

Moreover, recent cases of polio have overshadowed claims of present government for eradicating the crippling virus. Chief Minister Balochistan Dr Abdul Malik Baloch has taken a serious notice of recent polio cases and directed the concerned quarters to double their efforts for its eradication.

“We will eradicate polio virus from Balochistan,” Dr Baloch told Dawn.com.

However, worsening law and order problem, refusal on the part of parents coupled with lack of commitment on the part of concerned departments have made this task difficult for Dr Baloch's government.

Opinion

Editorial

Killing fields
Updated 09 Jul, 2025

Killing fields

Israeli state seeks to ethnically cleanse the occupied territories of their Palestinian inhabitants, and forever obstruct the chances of a viable Palestinian state.
Crypto rush
09 Jul, 2025

Crypto rush

STEP by step, Pakistan is, at least on paper, moving closer to recognising, adopting and regulating cryptocurrencies...
Another plan
09 Jul, 2025

Another plan

FAILING to plan is planning to fail, as the old saying goes. This seems to have occurred in the case of Karachi, a...
Green tokenism
Updated 08 Jul, 2025

Green tokenism

Climate decisions must be based on facts, not politics — guided by independent science and open to public scrutiny.
Cotton decline
08 Jul, 2025

Cotton decline

PAKISTAN’S cotton economy is in a crisis. Production has fallen from a peak of 14m bales 10 years ago to 5.5m ...
Pet problems
08 Jul, 2025

Pet problems

PAKISTANIS’ obsession with exotic pets keeps ending in tragedy. Incidents like the recent lion attack in a Lahore...