PESHAWAR: During the first fifteen weeks of the current year, as many as 47 children were paralyzed with polio as compared to six during the same period in 2013.
The major chunk of these cases have come from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and FATA, seven and 38 respectively. During
the period in 2013, as many as three cases were reported from KPK while no case was reported from FATA during that period.
Despite the increasing number of cases, Deputy Director Admn FATA and Acting Director Health Servuces FATA, Dr Nazeer said, "we are confident that the fight against polio eradication is in the final round."
The world, he said, has never been in a better position to eradicate polio. He made it clear that in Pakistan, most of the cases are being reported from areas with access issues.
He said "it means that the circulation of the wild polio virus is now restricted to areas where vaccination rounds have not been conducted for nearly two years."
Dr Nazir said that "it would not be incorrect to say that the efforts to eradication of polio would receive a major boost if we are able to resume vaccination of children in the tribal areas."
An official of FATA secretariat, said that the level of knowledge regarding polio and other vaccine preventable disease is low in FATA and that is why we are making efforts to provide masses with correct information through various communication channels.
For instance, he said, "that some people in FATA consider polio drop as not 'halal', whereas we have had Fatwas from leading religious scholars asking people to vaccinate children against polio."
Muslim scholars and Islamic instructions across the globe have raised voice in support of polio eradication including Daral Uloom Deoband in India, Organization of the Islamic Conference, International Union for Muslim Scholars led by Mufti Dr. Yousuf al-Qaradawi and Imam of Masjid Al Aqsa (Bait ul Muqades), Maulana Samiul Haq of Darul Aloom Haqqania and innumerable others.
Recently, Mufti Naeem of Darul Aloom Islamia Binori Town, Karachi, also urged parents to ensure that the children are vaccinated against polio. Medical experts said that polio vaccine is the only protection against polio for which there is no cure. It is essential that every child under five is immunized against polio.
The oral polio vaccine is one of the safest vaccines ever developed.
It is so safe it can be given to sick children and new born.
It has been used all over the world to protect children against polio, saving at least 5 million children from permanent paralysis by polio.
Also, there is no truth in the rumours that it causes infertility.
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