PESHAWAR: The Emergency Operation Centre for Polio is set to begin a five-day immunization campaign today (Monday) in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, despite ongoing challenges including positive sewage samples and instances of fake finger marking.
A senior health department official stated that while Khyber Pakhtunkhwa has not recorded any polio infections this year, several districts remain endemic to the virus, raising concerns. Recent findings indicate that a polio case in Islamabad is linked to the virus found in Lakki Marwat district, suggesting that the virus persists in the province. Additionally, 33 sewage samples from various districts in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa have tested positive for poliovirus this year.
The campaign, targeting over 6.42 million children under five years old, will be executed in two phases. The first phase involves administering oral polio vaccine to 5.75 million children across 27 districts. The second phase, starting on September 23, will cover approximately 672,000 children in three districts.
The nationwide vaccination drive will also commence today in 115 districts, aiming to reach over 33 million children. However, officials remain concerned about four major virus reservoirs: Karachi, Quetta, Peshawar, and Khyber.
Despite no reported polio cases in Peshawar and Khyber, sewage samples in these areas have consistently tested positive. In Peshawar, which last reported a polio case in 2020, the sewage water has been positive for the past 18 months. Chief Secretary Nadeem Aslam Chaudhry recently expressed alarm over the presence of the virus in water, calling it a hidden threat.
During a provincial task force meeting on polio, the deputy commissioner of Peshawar highlighted issues with partner organizations, noting that 210 poor performers had been identified but no action had been taken. Additionally, the district faces around 20,000 refusals per drive, complicating vaccination efforts.
Officials have noted that while campaign coverage averages 99 percent, the presence of the virus in sewage suggests quality issues with the vaccination process. They also reported that vaccinators have faced threats from militants, leading to dangerous practices such as marking fingers without administering vaccines to avoid parental backlash.
The lack of rigorous case identification and specimen testing has also been flagged as a concern. UN agencies and other partners are urged to coordinate efforts to eradicate the virus before funding for polio eradication potentially runs out. Responsibility for any shortcomings in the campaign lies with deputy commissioners and district health officers, though they lack the authority to address issues with partner organization staff.
