Athens, April 24 (IANS). Pakistan is fast becoming the epicenter of the polio virus and there is increased concern among the international community due to the possibility of it becoming the epicenter of widespread spread of cross-border infection. The virus has made a resurgence due to a number of systemic problems, including corruption, administrative failures, government inaction, hindered access to vulnerable and marginalized communities, and widespread hesitancy regarding vaccines.
According to Athens-based Geopolitico, this situation is more worrying because by 2023, Pakistan has received more than $100 million in international aid to eradicate polio.
At present, there are only two countries in the world, Pakistan and Afghanistan, where wild polio virus type-1 (WPV-1) is still present. During the Taliban rule in Afghanistan, cases have declined significantly, while Pakistan has reported more than 100 active cases of WPV-1 in the last two years.
It has been reported in the report that the World Health Organization (WHO) has warned that now this virus has spread in all the major provinces of Pakistan. Be it relatively Punjab or less developed Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. According to WHO’s Polio IHR Emergency Committee, its spread will continue till 2025, including Lahore and many districts in the central areas of the country.
The committee also noted that an increase in cases started appearing from mid-2023, especially in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Sindh and Balochistan. It is also a matter of concern that the case of WPV-1 has come to light again in Gilgit-Baltistan after eight years, which shows that this problem is still deeply rooted.
Reports also state that experts attribute the failure to eliminate the disease to deep structural weaknesses in Pakistan’s health system.
The main challenges they identified include lack of transportation for medical teams in remote areas, inadequate training, lack of vaccines, poor coordination and accountability, political interference, and unequal distribution of quality health services, which is largely restricted to only the elite.
Pakistan’s development advisor Nawab Ali Khattak also echoed these concerns, saying that the resurgence of polio is due to logistical constraints, security threats, misinformation and corruption.
Asadullah Channa, another Pakistan-based academic, said the crisis was in large part linked to the government’s failure to effectively counter extremist ideologies. They argue that officials avoided directly confronting fundamentalist elements, allowing years of misinformation to influence public perception and fuel vaccine refusal.
According to Channa, the persistence of polio is also the result of political neglect, as successive governments have failed to counter extremist propaganda, while the current leadership is more preoccupied with political and judicial activities rather than immediate public health priorities.
–IANS
AY/VC