Year after year, we pray for some magical swish for health authorities to declare that history has been made and Pakistan finally walked over to the safe side of the poliovirus divide. However, a variety of new hurdles continue to emerge in the fight to eradicate a disabling and life-threatening disease.
With at least nine sewage samples from as many as six districts found positive for wild poliovirus, we are in no position to let the guard down. More attention and significantly more resources are needed to maintain consistently high levels of vaccination in all children to ensure immunity across the country.
Eradicating a virus refuses to go away has emerged as a persistent challenge for the state, whose extensive vaccination campaigns are yet to bear fruit. Of course, we cannot deny the root causes of the persistence, which include gaps in immunisation coverage and population movement. If, on one hand, efforts to spread awareness in remote regions where immunisation remains low requires the help of religious ulema, screeching brakes on the trajectory of a virus that slips through borders would be next to impossible without coordination efforts from Afghanistan.
While the sacrifices rendered by resilient vaccination teams cannot be celebrated enough – who pay no heed to their safety in their crusade for a safe, polio-free Pakistan – , it is high time we realise that extraordinary situations call for extraordinary measures. Perhaps, we would have to utilise new vaccination techniques to help improve coverage and reach underserved populations. More innovation might lead to targeted campaigns tailored to specific regions or communities to enhance their effectiveness. Time and again, the polio campaign has appeared to be on the cusp of eradication, only for the state to exasperatingly see the goal slip away.
One unvaccinated child, one unidentified cluster can wreak havoc on the entire country; leaving the international community ever on the qui vive for something new. Because no one can truly win this race unless everyone wins, let’s not give up hope. Let’s work together for the sake of all children. *