Father’s refusal results in crippling child with polio

KARACHI: Refusal by the parents to get their child vaccinated against polio crippled another child in Karachi after Polio Eradication Initiative officials said another child has been tested positive for polio in Karachi on Friday, raising the total number of polio cases in the Sindh province to 10 with five cases from Karachi alone.

“A 24-month old boy from the UC Jacob Lines, Jamshaid Town Karachi has been tested positive for polio whose parents, especially father never allowed polio workers to give Oral Polio Vaccine (OPV) drops to his son”, Dr. Rana Muhammad Safdar, National Coordinator of Emergency Operation Center (EOC) Islamabad told The News on Friday.

Terming it a sad day for Pakistan when four children were found crippled with polio virus, Dr. Rana Safdar, who has recently been re-appointed as the National Coordinator for EOC, said three children were tested positive for polio in Lucky Marwat, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and one from Karachi.

Similarly, two more cases of Vaccine-Derived Polio Virus 2 have also been confirmed in the remote areas of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, one each from Charsada and Torghar, National EOC Islamabad official added.

Officials at EOC Sindh said 24-month old Ahmed Saad, son of Abdullah is the fifth polio case of Karachi and 10th polio case in Sindh in the current year, adding that this child never had a polio vaccine drops in his live due to adamant attitude of his father.

“The father of the ill-fated child is a religious person, probably a Pesh Imam of a mosque and his house is hidden from the road behind Parking Plaza in Saddar. He never allowed polio workers to reach his residence and always lied about having a child”, an official of the EOC Sindh said, adding that the child never had drops of Oral Polio Vaccine (OPV) in his life.

There are now 10 polio cases in Sindh with five cases from Karachi, one each from Larkana, Jamshoro, Sajawal and two from Hyderabad, officials said and adding urged parents to cooperate with polio vaccination teams and give their under 5 children polio drops so that spread of polio could be stopped.

They said repeated vaccination is the only way to get rid of the polio virus, officials said adding that Pakistan Paediatric Association and all major Islamic clerics have also advised that children under 5 years of age need to receive OPV during every campaign.