This refers to your editorial “Anti-polio efforts” (Nov 21).

It is quite disturbing that at a time when most countries have managed to eradicate polio, Pakistan and Afghanistan still remain polio-endemic in the region.

Despite regular anti-polio drives across the country, polio cases are frequently being reported in the media.

The grim statistics of the last two years alarmingly reveal that children in this part of the world are still vulnerable to a disease which is unknown to their contemporaries in other parts of the globe.

Though in Pakistan cases are reported from both urban and rural areas, majority of them comes from rural areas which comprise the bulk of illiterate population of the country.

They lack very basic information about this crippling disease. Apart from this, every year in many far remote areas of the country a huge number of children miss the inoculation for various reasons including access issues and parents' refusal.

Whatever be the reasons, it exposes the loopholes of our anti-polio mechanism.

Furthermore, the conservative section of the society illogically declares the anti-polio drives as a "Western conspiracy" to produce an infertile Muslim community. As a result parents in most parts of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan either keep their infants away from the sights of the polio vaccinators or overtly decline to get their children administered polio drops.

This false notion has posed an imposing threat to the future of our children. In the past we have seen NGO workers being threatened or even assaulted for persuading people for contraception.

Now a new trend of attacking polio volunteers has come into the spotlight. The recent fatal attacks on polio campaigners in Karachi and Quetta can be seen in this perspective.

Mass awareness is the key for a polio-free society.

Mass awareness, however, would never come through organising walks in main cities like Quetta, Karachi or Peshawar where people are somewhat aware about the polio virus.

Similarly holding seminars in five star hotels of Quetta or Karachi before a learned audience would never make a couple living in a remote area of Balochistan or interior Sindh cognisant with the perils of this contagious disease.

True these walks, seminars and painting exhibitions depict our resolve against this epidemic disease but all we need to do is to go beyond these cosmetic practices.

The government is urgently required to utilise all possible forums ranging from the media campaign to community based social mobilisation in order to bring awareness amongst the illiterate folk about this crippling disease.

A network of basic health units, lady health workers and volunteers should be extended across the length and breadth of the country to ensure that not a single child goes without inoculation in any part of the country.

FAZAL BALOCH Turbat