Polio spreads to Afghanistan and Pakistan "due to uncontrolled borders" | Global development

The uncontrolled movement of people on the border between Pakistan and Afghanistan is a threat to efforts to eradicate polio from both countries. the first cases of the virus are recorded in the volatile region.

The Global Polio Eradication Initiative stated that people crossing uncontrolled crossings would be one of the main causes of the spread of the disease in the region.

Pakistan and Afghanistan, along with Nigeria, are the only three countries in the world where polio remains endemic.

Last month, the Bajaur agency, in the federally administered tribal area bordering Afghanistan, reported the first case of wild poliovirus in Pakistan. The virus has also been found in the border towns of Baluchistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa provinces.

Although border areas are the main source of concern, cases were also reported in January in Punjab province.

Since the launch of the polio eradication program in Pakistan in 1994, virus cases have been systematically reported over the 2,430-kilometer border from main towns to remote villages.

The worst polio outbreak in Pakistan was recorded in 2014, when 202 cases were reported. The government blamed the Taliban for banning vaccination and launching attacks on vaccination teams.

Efforts by the Global Polio Eradication Initiative – supported by the World Health Organization, Unicef, Rotary International and NGOs, as well as by governments countries affected by poliomyelitis – have produced results. Since 2015, the number of cases has been steadily decreasing.

According to Pakistani government figures, 54 cases of poliovirus were reported in 2015, followed by 20 in 2016 and 8 in 2017. However, their numbers increased last year, when a dozen cases have reported throughout the country, including 11 border regions.

Aziz Memon, Pakistan Pakistan Polio Plus Committee's national president, said the government had increased the number of permanent transit posts occupied, either side of the border between Pakistan and Afghanistan, where children can be vaccinated against the virus.

By the end of December, 1.6 million children had been vaccinated in more than 380 of these centers.

According to Memon, conflict, political insecurity and the remoteness of areas, combined with a highly mobile population and logistical challenges, are significant obstacles to Pakistan's polio eradication.

"Cross-border vaccination is essential for our polio program. The mbadive influx of people has caused many people to fall, and families with children whose routine is inadequate and who do not benefit from any additional immunization are the real challenge of the program, "he said. declared.

The difficult geographical terrain between north and south Waziristan and southeastern Afghanistan has been the most difficult to reach for vaccination teams.

The committee's current objective is to vaccinate high-risk populations in the border towns of Peshawar / Torkham at Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Chaman / Spin Boldik in Baluchistan. These areas are home to nomads, seasonal and economic migrants, and migrant farm worker families.

The storage capacity of high temperature vaccines in these areas has been a challenge. Researchers at the Southern University of California say they have found a new method of storing inactive polio vaccine (IPV) that remains effective under such weather conditions.

Since 2014, the number of polio cases in Pakistan has decreased by 96%. According to government statistics, 38.7 million children under five were vaccinated during routine national immunization days.

Poliomyelitis is a highly contagious, disabling and potentially fatal disease contracted by the polio virus in areas of poor sanitation. It is spread by contaminated food and water. There is no curative treatment and the disease mainly affects young children. Early vaccination is the only defense.

Therefore, reaching the right age is one of the priorities of the vaccination teams. The vaccine is given to children in four doses between two months and six years.

In 2017, Pakistan began building a fence along its border with Afghanistan. Although the goal is essentially political, limiting the incursions of militants from both sides, the government also claims that it will help put an end to the cross-border transmission of polio.