Daily Times

KARACHI: Whenever Pakistan will be listed as a polio-free nation, polio victim-cum-mobilzer Abrar Khan’s name would also be written in golden words for the struggle he made in eradicating this menace.

From 2012 to 2015, he worked in Karachi as a social mobilizer in his community at different positions to ensure that every child is vaccinated.

Hailing from Saeedabad area in Baldia Town Karachi, Abrar (27) remained a frontliner polio worker in high risk polio corridor, going door-to-door and advocating to refusals to get their children vaccinated .

“I bore this responsibility in order to save others from bearing agony of ailment. I on many occasions confronted with arguments and tried to convince people how difficult it is to live with polio,” Abrar explained.

With the hard work and dedication of people like Abrar, Pakistan’s polio eradication program is committing to nothing less than leaving no child unvaccinated and vulnerable to the crippling virus.

Besides Pakistan, wild poliovirus is only endemic in three countries including Afghanistan and Nigeria. So far 16 cases have been reported in Pakistan, a decline as compared to 54 cases of WPV in 2015 and 306 cases in 2014.

Abrar was hit by polio at the age of three years with both of his feet and legs disabled as he was not administered polio vaccination till five years. However soon after realizing that he was facing dangerous disease, his parents took him for vaccination but it was too late then.

In old times there was no such mass awareness about anti polio vaccination. My parents’ opinion on my ailment was that I met with witch sight since I was bit more smart child, a boy and was born after five sisters.

During the job, he convinced 140 polio-refusal families. “For instance, in March 2012, there were around 100 recorded refusal cases in Muslim Mujahid Colony in neighborhood of Baldia Town. Unwilling often questioned me what polio is. In response I informed them that it is a fatal disease that makes limbs and other parts of body inactive for life,” Abrar stated.

In year 2015, he moved to another job. However Abrar is willing to re-start his left-over mission to accomplish it.

“Many children have suffered polio like me. I took this job not for the sake of work but as a mission to eradicate polio from Pakistan.”