Religious group forcefully stops polio vaccination in Northwest Pakistan

The polio vaccination drive suffers another blow in the Northwest Pakistan as a religious extremist group in Nowshera district of North West Frontier Province forcibly stopped the staff from vaccinating children.

The provincial health department which had planned to vaccinate more than 5.9 million children during three-day campaign had already admitted that more than 3 lakh children will miss the polio drops this time due to law and order and militancy.

Official sources say that a religious extremist group Jamaatut Dawat has persuaded the local villagers in Dagai and Misri Banda against vaccinating their children for polio.

The group is of the view that polio vaccination is a conspiracy of the United States against the Muslims of the world and will cause impotency among youth.

The EDO health Dr Sabz Ali confirms that some people in these villages have stopped the polio teams from vaccinating the children below 5 for polio.

He says a health department has formed a team to negotiate with these villages to allow the polio vaccination.

More than 5.9 million children will be vaccinated polio drops during the three-day campaign from 15th to 17th while around 3 lakh children will miss the anti-polio drive due t o law and order in the troubled regions of NWFP and FATA.

The in-charge of The Expanded Programme on Immunization (EPI) programme Dr Mujahid says that in 2009 around 49 children have died of this virus while more than 89 have been tested positive for polio virus

He says the anti-polio efforts have been launched in 1994 but and there is a dire need to create awareness among the public to get polio free Pakistan.

Dr Mujahid admits due to militancy and the law and order problem in Charsadda, Bajaur and some parts of Bara and Terrah Valley more than three lakh children will miss the polio drops.

He says the health department has formed sixteen thousand five hundred twenty teams to administer polio drops to more than 5.9 million children across FATA and NWFP.

Dr Mujahid says the entire Malakand division has been covered under the programme this time and the drive will be effectively carried out there.

Pakistan is among the few countries that still are battling with Polio.

- Asian Tribune -