ISLAMABAD: Pakistan has to go three consecutive years without reporting any polio case before it can be declared free of the endemic. While, not a single case has been reported in the country during the last one year and everyone feels good about that, we must keep getting children vaccinated, said United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund (Unicef) Executive Director Catherine Russell in an interview with Dawn on Tuesday.

From the perspective of Unicef, Pakistan is an interesting country as it prospered in some ways, but it is also a country that has some real challenge, the Unicef chief said, adding that “there were some persistent problems that we are concerned about”.

Ms Russell, who is in Islamabad on her first official visit since assuming charge of her office on Feb 1, said Unicef was trying to ensure that polio was finally eradicated.

Tracking polio was a labourious process and while teams visited door to door, people sometimes declined inoculation, she said, adding that, “we also have to look at Pakistan and Afghanistan, together when we talk about polio”.

Unicef’s Catherine Russell says the disease had to be tackled in Pakistan, Afghanistan simultaneously

She said polio had to be tackled in both places simultaneously to prevent the import and export of the virus as people went back and forth across the border.

As real progress had been made in some areas, Ms Russell expressed concern about the issues related to education and nutrition.

“While over 20 million children out of school pre-Covid was problematic, the situation just got worse. The consequences for girls are worse for not being in school. They are more likely to get married early, more likely to start having children early and their children are less likely to get educated,” Ms Russell said, adding that they were less likely to contribute towards making the economy better on a higher level.

The Unicef executive director also met Prime Minister Imran Khan and other government officials. Furthermore, she visited the National Emergency Operations Centre (NEOC) and reiterated her support towards Pakistan’s polio eradication efforts.

During her meeting with NEOC National Coordinator Dr Shahzad Baig and polio staff, she was briefed about the polio programme.

“Pakistan has made remarkable progress in the fight against polio. Unicef is proud to be part of this effort; we are committed towards working with all our partners to finish the job and end polio in Pakistan so that every child can be protected from this potentially fatal, but easily preventable disease,” she said.

Dr Baig gave a presentation about the programme, focusing on current risks and challenges as well as the strategies and approaches being adopted to overcome them.

“All polio activities have been sustained under the government management and oversight at every level with the full commitment of the prime minister and chief ministers. The programme strives to reach children who have been repeatedly missed and need to receive the vaccine to build immunity,” the NEOC national coordinator said.

Catherine Russell also met with women and children during a community engagement session at an Afghan Refugee Settlement in Islamabad. She applauded the hard work of the polio staff, 60pc of whom were women, and frontline healthcare workers in reaching children during routine and polio vaccination campaigns, especially in hard-to-reach and high-risk areas.

Published in Dawn, February 23rd, 2022