While Pakistan has made significant progress in reducing the number of polio cases, the disease remains endemic in both Pakistan and Afghanistan. In recent years, Pakistan has launched a campaign to eradicate the spread of polio, with a focus on vaccination efforts. Despite these efforts, health workers and security officials accompanying them face harassment, ridicule, threats, and physical attacks. Over the past three decades, at least 102 health workers have been killed in Pakistan.
In addition to facing violence and resistance to vaccination efforts, health workers in Pakistan also struggle with low pay, salary delays, and difficult working conditions. Polio survivors who are part of the eradication campaign receive limited transport and health benefits, forcing them to navigate challenging terrain and weather conditions while carrying out their work.
Despite these challenges, Pakistan administers over 300 million doses of oral vaccine each year with the support of at least 350,000 vaccinators. These efforts have resulted in a significant decrease in the number of polio cases reported annually from 20,000 to just five cases this year.
However, while progress has been made in reducing the number of polio cases in Pakistan, it is crucial that efforts continue to combat its spread. The country must address violence against health workers and create more supportive working conditions for those involved in the eradication campaign. By doing so, we can hope for a future where polio is no longer an endemic disease in our region.
