Children face much bigger health threats
than polio. But immunization services
for major childhood diseases such as
diphtheria, tetanus and measles remain
plagued with inefficiencies, poor oversight
and a shortage of resources.
Full immunization rates for children
in the country were last year estimated
at 54% with wide variations across the
country7
, compared to more than 95% in
nearby Bangladesh. The figures for Pakistan
may even be an overestimate: the
survey excluded the FATA and vulnerable
populations in mega-cities. In a household
survey conducted this year, my colleagues
and I found that 25% of children under
five years in the urban slums of Karachi
were not vaccinated for any childhood disease;
the same was true for 64% of children
in a relatively peaceful district of the FATA.
The time to act is now. The military
offensive in North Waziristan has, paradoxically,
opened up opportunities to provide
health services to children from the
FATA through care for displaced families.
This could contribute to building community
support and to re-establish the rule of
law in conflict-ridden areas once people
return. Ongoing support will be necessary
to eradicate polio: children require multiple
doses of vaccine to build immunity.
I fervently hope that the government
and concerned agencies will devote their
energies to scaling up full immunization
efforts in these displaced and marginal
populations, rather than diverting
resources to international travellers.
This is a chance to eradicate polio from
the planet