The National Islamic Advisory Group
(NIAG) reiterated continued support for Pakistan’s Polio Eradication Programme
in its determined effort to root out the virus from its core reservoirs. Members of NIAG core group met here
today at the National Emergency Operations Centre to review the national
and provincial work plans and ensure alignment with the eradication programme
plan under the National Emergency Action Plan (NEAP) 2017-18.
With only four
recorded cases so far this year and great progress toward the goal, it is easy
to conclude that the worst is over but for a programme striving to achieve and
maintain Zero – actually it’s not. The programme environmental surveillance
network informs us, positive polio sewage samples are still being detected from
key hotspots; Karachi, Quetta, Killa Abdullah as well as the twin cities of
Rawalpindi-Islamabad requiring focused efforts to close any gaps. The
importance of sustaining gains made in Khyber-Peshawar will be critical.
In her message to the forum, the
Prime Minister’s Focal Person for Polio Eradication Senator Ayesha Raza Farooq lauded the role of learned religious scholars in addressing questions
and misconceptions from communities, families and parents – a key role in
Pakistan’s pursuit to protect our children by reaching and vaccinating missed
child. “Despite
the progress made to date in bringing the number of children paralyzed by the
poliovirus to a record low, anything less than the protection of every single
child in Pakistan from the menace of polio cannot be acceptable”, Senator
Farooq said. “Parents often ask me a question on the number of times a child can be
vaccinated? The oral polio vaccine is safe - medically there’s no limit to how
many times you can receive it. Polio invades your child’s body, makes him or
her disabled for life, and even kills. There is no cure from this disease!
However, the polio drops are there to protect your child – polio drops are like
bricks of a wall, if you want to build a strong wall between your child and the
enemy, you need more bricks”.
National Emergency
Operations Centre Coordinator, Dr Rana Muhammad Safdar highlighted
that, “to stamp out polio, we have to block the virus from finding a host –
each child, simply put, if not fully vaccinated is at risk – and this also
endangers the health of the nation. Recent cases indicate that the resilient
Polio virus has the capability to reach and paralyze our children as long as
they are sub-optimally protected either because of refusals or being missed for
other reasons. The data clearly indicates that we still have
pockets of vulnerable children who could not avail every vaccination
opportunity during last year’s campaigns – we must do better in upcoming
campaigns or we put our remarkable progress at risk”.
Chair of the core group of NIAG Maulana Hanif Jalandhri, said “vaccinating children
against polio is in accordance with Islamic Shariah and teachings and
considered a religious obligation as effective means to protect children’s
health and save their lives. I am always keen that my own grandchildren would not miss their polio drops
every time the
vaccination teams knock on my door”. “Our support to
the campaign will continue until Pakistan is polio-free and
all our children are safe from polio” Maulana Jalandhri said.
Former federal
minister and chair of Polio Plus Ulema Committee, Maulana Hanif Tayyab said
“Our duty and responsibility as religious community leaders is to ensure
parents vaccinate their children under the age of five against this
debilitating but preventable disease, especially those who have not been
vaccinated before or missed in the campaign. It is parents’ religious
obligation to do so; ignoring this might leave these children paralyzed for
life”.
The support of religious leaders has
been instrumental in increasing vaccine acceptance and reaching missed children
in communities across Pakistan. NIAG was
formed in June 2013 on the recommendations of Islamic Advisory Group (IAG). The
role undertaken by Islamic scholars across Pakistan has been vital in guiding
the religious leaders of communities across the country on the importance of
vaccination, dispelling misconceptions about the vaccine and build trust among
their communities.
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