According to a press report, ten cases of a new strain of poliovirus known as 'Sabin-like type2 poliovirus' have been registered in the Pashtun-dominated Qila Abdullah and Pishin districts in Balochistan while another two cases of the same strain of virus have been reported in neighbouring Afghanistan. Considering that the Pashtun population of these districts has frequent contacts with Fata, where the Taliban banned polio vaccination, the virus seems to have travelled from the nearby tribal areas, or even Afghanistan.
That though does not absolve the provincial government of its responsibility. In fact, higher risk demanded a more efficient and effective response. Unfortunately, however, the provincial authorities have failed to take even routine measures for the prevention of this crippling children's disease, aggravating an already serious situation. That clearly comes out from a letter Shahnaz Wazir Ali, Special Assistant to the Prime Minister, recently sent to the chief secretary of Balochistan, saying "the situation in Quetta block, which include Qilla Abdullah and Pishin, is aggravated by continued resistance to and intransigence of the district health authorities and supervisory cadre of vaccinators." She went on to note that "stubbornness of the provincial health department and government supervisors for polio eradication in Balochistan is one of the biggest reasons behind dismal performance of the polio programme that has resulted in detection of new strain of poliovirus in Pakistan and threatens to impose travel restrictions on citizens that may put the country in an extremely embarrassing situation in the near future."
Pakistan is already in the unenviable position, along with Afghanistan and Nigeria, of being one of the world's three polio endemic countries. Creditably for the federal government, it has been carrying out a public awareness campaign wisely recruiting the services of cricketing star Shahid Afridi, an ethnic Pashtun, to dispel some of the disinformation vis-a-vis safety concerns. That seemed to have had some positive impact on countering ignorance. Earlier this year, the Taliban made a conditional offer - though an impossible one, linking vaccination to an end to drone strikes - to let health workers do their job.
The offer could have helped open a window of opportunity through gentle persuasion, but the concerned authorities failed to put it to profitable use. The present report should lend urgency to government efforts to make this country polio-free. Hopefully, the provincial government will pay due heed to the PM office's directive to ensure "highest quality" of response with "strict monitoring and zero tolerance for under performance." The Khyber Agency's political agent should also employ all means at his disposal to persuade the Taliban to allow vaccination. Equally important, polio vaccination should be integrated into the general health services, thereby warding off unnecessary attention and resistance.