PESHAWAR: Refusal cases against oral polio vaccine continue to record downtrend amid call by Unicef to ensure vaccination of every child below the age of five in every campaign to be able to eradicate the childhood ailment in the country.

Unicef communication specialist Alison Clement told Dawn that they had enlisted support of religious scholars, paediatricians, media persons and community elders to pave way for smooth-sailing of polio immunisation and totally eradicate poliomyelitis to safeguard children against disabilities.

“Refusals against polio are a big challenge and there is a global concern but given the support that we are getting from the society, there is hope that we will succeed in reaching out every child. Only two drops to every child will ensure eradication of poliomyelitis,” she said.

Ms Clement said that with full-fledged backing of government at federal and provincial level, their vaccinators were reaching people to convince them on taking jabs as it was the only way through which polio had been eliminated. She said that once the crippling disease was wiped out, children would grow healthy and would be able to pursue their education and take part in other activities.

One million children to be vaccinated in Bannu, Lakki Marwat, North and South Waziristan, DI Khan and Tank

“We appeal to all parents to shun the negative propaganda against polio vaccine and don’t give receptive ears to those opposing the drops for the sake of better future their children,” she said.

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa has so far recorded 18 polio cases, most of the polio infections of the country’s 29, including nine in Sindh and one each in Punjab and Gilgit-Baltistan.

However, according to a report of Emergency Operation Centre Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, the tally of refusals against vaccination dwindled in the campaign carried out in October. In September, vaccinators reported that 14,712 children stayed unimmunised due to reluctance of parents but in October their number dropped to 12,123.

Also, the number of overall missed children recorded in September was 65,265 which shot up to 72,214 in the recent drive.

As the second phase of the campaign got under way on Monday, EOC planned to inoculate one million children in Bannu, Lakki Marwat, North and South Waziristan, Dear Ismail Khan and Tank where violent circulation of the virus was in progress.

Of the total cases in the province, four cases each were recorded in Lakki Marwat, North Waziristan and Tank, three in Bannu and one case each in Torghar, Dera Ismail Khan and Kohistan Lower in the current year.

Officials said that 6,424 teams were deployed for the four-day campaign under strict security arrangements. They said that a total of 10,000 policemen were tasked to provide security to vaccinators during door-to-door campaigns in volatile districts. In the first phase, 6.1 million children received drops, they added.

They said that Chief Secretary Shahab Ali Shah held meetings with deputy commissioners, district police officers and district health officers to ensure that all target children got vaccine in the campaign as people in those districts were vulnerable to the disease and desperately required vaccination to strengthen their immunity.

They said that those districts were also known for misinformation regarding polio drops owing to which government asked relevant officials to supervise the drive and convince all the people opposing the drops. They added that government was appreciating frontline health workers, who were reaching to children despite looming threats.

Published in Dawn, October 21st, 2025