The detection of this year’s first polio case in Sindh is significant in two respects: first, it has been reported from the relatively upscale locality of Karachi’s Gulshan-i-Iqbal and, second, the infected 18-month-old boy had reportedly received six doses of anti-polio vaccines as well as polio drops during routine immunisations. Just a few years ago we were beginning to hope for the complete eradication of the virus from the country. Today, there is little doubt that the polio spectre has reared its head again, with cases being reported from 15 districts across Pakistan over the past three years.

There are numerous aspects to the continued spread of the virus. First, the lack of political will and the dearth of trained health workers in even urban areas. Sindh, for example, has seen 31 polio-positive cases since January 2008, of which 11 were in Karachi alone. Local health workers say that during routine immunisation days, there is below par coverage in certain union councils that are mired in poverty: the lack of political ownership of these residents leads them to be left out of the vaccination net.

Then there is the negative propaganda spread by ‘religious’ elements, especially in the country’s north, which convinces many parents that their children should not receive anti-polio drops. True, the health department instituted a massive polio awareness campaign. But the reach of even its expanded immunisation teams is badly affected by the remoteness of many of the target settlements, and the continuing unrest in those areas. Thirdly, there is the matter of vaccinations and polio drops that have lost their potency due to improper storage and handling.

As this paper reported yesterday, the detection of the polio virus in vaccinated children damages the very basis of the anti-polio campaign since it lends credence to the belief that the vaccinations are ineffective. The high-transmission polio season starts in April, and it is time for the authorities to act. The deadly virus is poised to spread like wildfire in a country where many children have not been inoculated or may have received impotent vaccinations.