PESHAWAR: Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, which has recorded 19 of this year’s 30 nationwide polio cases, has restarted theatrical performances to pave the way for immunisation to win parents over for vaccinating their children.

A drama staged at the Government Higher Secondary School in Kakshal area of Peshawar on Wednesday was an attempt to sensitise students and quash myths and misconceptions surrounding polio vaccination and woo reluctant parents to administer jabs to their children for their safety against the crippling vaccine-preventable disease, according to officials.

They said the event was organised by Emergency Operation Centre (EoC) in collaboration with Unicef as part of a school-based initiative where students were declared to act as the immunisation ambassadors for polio eradication.

EoC coordinator Shafiullah Khan told Dawn that the measure was meant to engage pupils from designated schools for scaling up awareness regarding significance of vaccines and doing away with myths within their communities.

Emergency Operation Centre, Unicef organise drama in Peshawar school

“We have the national duty to protect children from diseases including disabilities from poliomyelitis which is entirely avoidable through vaccines. Teachers and school administration can play their part through sending across powerful messages to create demand for vaccines,” he said.

According to him, most of the polio-infected children weren’t vaccinated mainly because of reluctance of parents against oral polio vaccine, prompting the government to employ different strategies to counter opposition to immunisation and inoculate all target children to eradicate the disease.

Dr Ali Haidar, Dr Sardar Alam, Diana Maria Pirga, Sadia Ijaz and others said that the parents’ hesitancy to administer vaccines to their wards was based on unfounded propaganda that polio drops were a ploy to render recipients impotent and infertile and cut down the population of Muslims but in reality these drops have eliminated the disease world over, except Pakistan and Afghanistan.

The Unicef communication officer hoped that students would be armed with information materials and advocacy tools to enable them to promote positive health behaviors in their schools, homes and neighbourhoods.

She said all participating students would be enrolled as members of Immunisation Club, while top performers would receive recognition certificates from EoC.

Ms Shadab emphasised that vaccination benefited children and parents must fulfill their religious and moral obligation by vaccinating them against all preventable diseases.

“By virtue of stage dramas, we are trying our level best to brush aside all misapprehensions and misbelief about vaccination and open the way for smooth sailing of immunisation. Through youth engagement, the initiative seeks to build long-term trust and strengthen community support for essential immunisation,” she said.

Earlier, a live theatrical performance was staged by leading actors, using messages from religious scholars, who insisted that the faithful were bound by Islam to safeguard their children against diseases.

The performers were confident that many people, who staunchly opposed vaccination, would opt for giving polio drops to their children below five years after watching their performance.

They said the plays with strong performances by professional actors with powerful dialogues, script and background music keep the participants engaged for two hours, during which the focus remains on the significance of immunisation.

The artists also said the theatre advocated that only vaccination could reduce the disabilities club in the country which increased now and then and those harmed by polio infection were destined to resort to begging or stay bed riddled.

They said the only option remained immunisation of children against poliomyelitis in every campaign until they crossed the age of five years.

Published in Dawn, December 11th, 2025