Transmission of polio virus interrupted in Peshawar: WHO

PESHAWAR: The years-long efforts and incessant vaccination campaigns against polio finally helped interrupt the transmission of its virus in the provincial capital, the World Health Organisation (WHO) announced on Wednesday.

According to WHO, "Massive stride in the fight against polio in Pakistan. After a long gap of 1.5 years, the sewerage water environmental sample collected from Shaheen Muslim Town in Peshawar has shown NO presence of Wild Poliovirus. These sewage samples are collected and devaluated every month from 59 locations throughout the country. This sample from Peshawar was collected on April 10, 2019. This result shows the impact of good quality vaccination in Peshawar and that vaccine works. WHO stands with the government of Pakistan for a polio-free Pakistan."

Babar bin Atta, Prime Minister's Focal Person on Polio Eradication, termed it a big achievement and credited it to the hard work of polio workers in Peshawar. "Well done Peshawar team. I am proud of you. This is a BIG day for all of us. Always remember that we are part of a noble cause, we must feel proud of what we all do. Many congratulations again," Babar bin Atta celebrated it in a tweet. He said the international organisations would only declare Peshawar a polio-free city if the samples collected from Shaheen Muslim Town don't have poliovirus in sewage for three consecutive years.

Along with Afghanistan and Nigeria, Pakistan is one of the three countries where poliovirus still exists. Peshawar, particularly the 18 union councils have become a headache for national and international organisations engaged in fighting against polio.

The entire area was called Shaheen Muslim Town and had become quite notorious for refusals based on a religious misconception. They included Akhunabad, Bhanamari, Cantt Ward - 5, Deh Bahadar, Dheri Baghbanan, Hazarkhwani 1, Hazar Khwani-2, Kakshal-2, Landi Arbab, Nauthia Jadeed, Nauthia Qadeem, Shaheen Muslim Town-1, Shaheen Muslim Twn-2, Sheikh Junaid Abad, Wazir Bagh, Yakatoot-1, Yakatoot-2 and Yakatoot-3.

Every time samples collected from the sewage of these union councils would confirm the presence of poliovirus. And international organisations particularly WHO and Unicef would exert more pressure on regional health authorities to take more measures to curb the virus.

There is no doubt that everybody has done a good job but the heroic role of low-paid female polio workers is matchless in the fight against poliovirus. Most of the female polio workers are being exploited and never given the reward they deserved. They are these female workers who risk their lives and go door to door toadminister polio vaccine to children. They have to face the hostile situation as parents refuse vaccine to their children.

A number of female workers lost lives, particularly after the Abbottabad Operation by the CIA that used the cover of fake vaccination to trace Osama bin Laden and his family. Pakistani physician from Khyber tribal district, Dr Shakil Afridi, who worked as chief health manager in Khyber tribal region at that time had allegedly helped the CIA trace the Al-Qaeda head by conducting a fake immunisation campaign in Abbottabad. The Abbottabad operation had made the polio programme controversial. The religious circles saw a conspiracy behind the anti-polio drives.

The cops escorting the polio vaccinators were also attacked. Assistant Sub-Inspector Imran Khan was shot dead by unidentified gunmen in Bannu districton Tuesday as he was going to escort a polio team. On Wednesday, a member of the KP's special police force, Zubair Shah, was killed in Buner district by unknown people. District Police Officer of Buner, Irshad Khan Yousafzai, said that he was fired in the head and shoulder and died on the spot.