Islamabad:
Federal Health Minister Mustafa Kamal on Tuesday recognized the sustained presence of poliovirus in the country’s environment and urged the public to address misunderstandings about the disease and its vaccine.
In response to a call for calling in the Senate about the ongoing anti-polio campaign, the minister informed the upper house that the virus was still actively circulating in the country.
“Our environment still hosts poliovirus,” Kamal said. “Unfortunately, false perceptions of polio have taken deep mess in people’s minds and I don’t know why.”
However, he clarified that he had explicitly prevented authorities from arresting parents who refuse to vaccinate their children. “I have stopped the practice of using the police to arrest parents so as not to manage polio drops,” he added.
The Minister pointed out that despite challenges, polio vaccination was performed even in nearby Afghanistan.
“Apart from Kandahar, all Afghan provinces are running anti-polio drives,” he said.
With reference to the situation in Balochistan, Kamal said he personally visited the province to oversee the efforts against polio.
“This year we have reported 14 polio cases,” he said, adding that most of the cases emerged from Bannu and other inaccessible regions.
“Where we have not been able to reach, cases have risen,” he said.
He also pointed to a sustained negative propaganda campaign against the polio vaccine as one of the obstacles in the fight to eradicate the virus.
Kamal revealed that environmental tests from districts across the country are testing positively for polio.
“This confirms that the virus remains in our environment,” he said.
“Only the children who receive polio drops are protected.”
The minister said the government was obliged to eradicate polio and called for public support to overcome incorrect information and logistical barriers.
