The poliovirus is transmitted by person to person and is spread mainly through the fecal oral route, or, less frequently, by a common vehicle, such as contaminated water or food. Thereafter, the poliovirus multiplies in the intestine, from where it can invade the nervous system and cause paralysis.
The initial symptoms of polio include fever, fatigue, headaches, vomiting, stiffness in the neck, and pain in the limbs. In a small proportion of cases, the disease can cause paralysis, which is often permanent. There is no cure for polio, and it can only be prevented by immunization.
The Pakistan Polio Eradication Program has been fighting to end the crippling poliovirus for over 25 years. The initiative is driven by up to 285,000 polio vaccinations, the largest surveillance network in the world, quality data collection and analysis, state-of-the-art laboratories, and some of the best epidemiologists and public health experts in Pakistan and the world. Unfortunately, Pakistan and Afghanistan are the only two countries left in the world where the poliovirus continues to threaten the health and well-being of children. Since 1994, the Pakistan Polio Eradication Program has been committed to ending poliovirus transmission in Pakistan. Through its efforts, case numbers have declined by up to 99% from the 20,000 cases that were reported in the early 1990s.
Pakistan came close to eradicating polio in 2018, but the disease has made an aggressive resurgence since 2019. This was attributed to a number of lapses in the polio program and related government policies and infrastructure, according to the International Monitoring Board, the top global body monitoring polio eradication efforts. An IMB report released in February declared Lahore as the epicenter of polio transmission in the country and strongly criticized the provincial government’s lapses. Meanwhile, attacks on polio workers by extremist groups have also witnessed a resurgence. In January, a policeman was killed in KP’s Karak District; earlier, another had been killed in Bannu. Furthermore, there are some rural areas of Sins. Baluchistan and Kpk where general masses have no access to bathrooms. Religious propaganda in Pakistan against polio has added fuel to the fire. People are reluctant to vaccinate their children due to religious bigotry. They have attached taboos like polio vaccine results in infertility, through polio vaccine the west is working against Muslim's to decrease their number in the world.
Government of Pakistan is working towards polio free Pakistan. Throughout the year, the program implements high quality vaccination campaigns that aim to reach all children under the age of across Pakistan. These campaigns are implemented by 285,000 frontline health workers who go door-to-door to make sure that each and every child in Pakistan is administered the polio vaccine that protects them from the crippling poliovirus. At the same time, the program undertakes highly sensitive surveillance, detection and response activities to track and limit virus transmission across the country, alongside communication and social mobilization activities which encourage health seeking behaviors amongst communities nationwide. The authorities need to double down and boost awareness campaigns and improve the management of the polio-related infrastructure so that this disease can be defeated.
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