22-year-old Sayed Samim faces many difficulties in his life due to polio disease

Shah Mahmoud Shinwari

 

Nangarhar, Afghanistan: 22-year-old Sayed Samim affected by polio disease in childhood and faces many challenges in life.

He is the student of third year in law faculty of a private university in Nangarhar, he told: “I was fine but polio disease made me the burden on others’ shoulders.”

According to him, he is one of three brothers in the family; the other two look after him and the eldest is breadwinner as well for the household.

“When I go to the University from home, my brother takes care of me and when I arrive to the University; my classmates carry me on their shoulder to the classroom,” Samim sadly expressed.

After saying this, he deeply breathed and painfully told that it is so difficult seeing your classmates and peers are healthy and you are disabled.

He thought about years ago while he was infected with poliovirus because of not administering polio vaccine.

He told the story of how he was infected with poliovirus: “I was completely healthy, when I was at the age of seven, I felt pains, and these were the symptoms of polio disease, by time the pains and disability of my legs increased. I was in grade eight of school when my legs were completely paralyzed and I was unable to walk anymore.”

The polio disease has paralyzed Sayed Samim and made him unable to walk/ Bati-Kot, Nangarhar © Polio Free Afghanistan/Shah Mahmoud Shinwarai

 

He says while experiencing the difficulty of disability and bitter life, would that his parents vaccinated him against polio on time so he would not face such a devastating disease.

He asks from all parents to be careful about the rights of their children regarding vaccination. He mentioned that parents must vaccinate their children against polio in every polio vaccination campaign to protect them against the dangerous disease.

He told, “Unfortunately nowadays some people believe misinformation and rumors therefore they do not vaccinate their children, with this, they destroy the future and well-being of their children.”

Samim’s younger brother, Sayed Qaseem said that the bad situation of his brother being at the difficulty of polio disease gives him pain, he says would that Samim was also healthy like him.

According to him, his brother constantly encounters difficulties and needs help from others in order to go anywhere.

“My brother is in difficulty. When he wants to go outside or to the home of any relatives, he cannot go by his own.” Added Samim’s brother.

He also told that if the parents do not draw attention to their children’s’ vaccination, their children would face the same fate.

Polio victim, Sayed Samim with his younger brother, Sayed Qaseem/ Bati-Kot Nangarhar © Polio Free Afghanistan/Shah Mahmoud Shinwarai

 

The head of student’s department at Samim’s school, Hakim Mushfiq said that Samim is infected by polio but he has not lost his moral and confidence, with all the difficulties of his disability, he always comes to university and attends his classes regularly.

He expressed, “The administration of the University and all the students feel the situation of Sayed Samim and provide help while needed. They daily carry him from Rakshu to the classroom and back from the classroom to the Rakshu. They also help him in carrying to the exam location.”

He adds that Sayed Samim is an example of carelessness of parents who do not vaccinate their children against polio.

Medical professionals say that to protect children against polio, parents should vaccinate their children and pay attention to hygiene. According to them, families should vaccinate their children during every polio campaign.

The medical professionals believe that if children are not vaccinated against polio, the virus in the contaminated environment enters to their body and infect or may it paralyze the children. The disease has no cure.

A new polio case has been reported from Nanghar province, with this, the polio positive cases in the year 2023 reach to six. This year all polio cases are recorded in Nangarhar province.

The new polio case was reported from Khugianai district of eastern Nangarhar province and the victim is a 12-year-old boy.

The first polio case in this year was reported from Bati-Kot district of Nangarhar province. The second case report from Kot district, the third reported from Nazyan district, the fourth from Behsud and the fifth case reported from Dur-Baba district of the same province.