The lost hopes of a Herati youth due to polio
Marzia Frotan
Omid Haqjo, aged 26, contracted polio at the age of two, resulting in paralysis of one of his legs. He now moves with the assistance of two crutches.
He is originally a resident of Gulran district in Herat province, but for the past few years, he has been living in a disadvantaged area in the west of Herat city with his parents, wife, and two small children.
Haqjo, who studied at the bachelor’s level in a private university, is deprived of physical activities due to the disability caused by polio. He aspired to become a footballer, but because one of his legs is paralyzed, he has been unable to fulfill his wish.
Due to polio, Omid Haqjo encounters numerous restrictions in society, he had hoped for treatment to engage in work and exercise like other healthy people, However, since there is no cure for polio, all his hopes have been shattered © Polio Free Afghanistan/ 2024/ Marzia Frotan
He says that when he sees healthy people every day, he becomes very disappointed and wishes that he could be as healthy as them.
Seated between his two children, he expressed with longing, “Due to polio, I encounter numerous restrictions in society. I had hoped for treatment to engage in work and exercise like other healthy people. However, since there is no cure for polio, all my hopes have been shattered.”
He added, “Considering my situation, it saddens me when I observe families not administering the polio vaccine to their children. Let them reflect on my circumstances and recognize the extent of my suffering. If the legs of a healthy person were bound, they wouldn’t be able to take a single step, but I have endured this condition for 24 years.”
Omid Haqjo, aged 26, contracted polio at the age of two, resulting in paralysis of one of his legs. He now moves with the assistance of two crutches © Polio Free Afghanistan/ 2024/ Marzia Frotan
Haqjo emphasized that children can be protected from permanent polio through the administration of two drops of the vaccine. Based on this, no family should neglect to vaccinate their children.
He highlighted that polio is a contagious disease, and if a child becomes infected, it can endanger the lives of other children. The valuable practice of vaccinators going door-to-door, immunizing children, is an excellent measure to safeguard their lives.
Omid Haqjo’s father, 62-year-old Abdul Majeed, states that his son contracted polio because he was not vaccinated.
He said: “my son was two years old when he became seriously ill and developed a severe fever. I took him to the doctor; he gave him medicine. But after three days, I noticed that one of his legs was numb and unable to move. Day by day, his leg was losing movement. When I took him to the doctor again, he told me that unfortunately your son is paralyzed.”
He added that initially, he considered taking his son to Iran or Pakistan for treatment, but the doctors informed him that this disease has no cure, which left him deeply disappointed. After a while, he took his son to the Red Cross Hospital, where the doctors provided him with a plastic leg and crutches.
Abdul Majeed said, “On one hand, my son has endured a lot due to polio. On the other hand, as a father, his condition has deeply saddened me. At that time, door-to-door polio vaccination was not available, so I couldn’t get my son vaccinated, leading to him contracting polio.”
He added that in the past, many children lost their lives due to diseases like measles and polio. However, with the advent of vaccines, children’s lives have been saved.
Haqjo, who studied at the bachelor’s level in a private university, is deprived of physical activities due to the disability caused by polio. He aspired to become a footballer, but because one of his legs is paralyzed, he has been unable to fulfill his wish © Polio Free Afghanistan/ 2024/ Marzia Frotan
Dr. Ghulam Farooq Azimi, a specialist in children’s diseases in Herat, says that any carelessness in vaccinating children against polio virus threatens the lives of children.
He added: “There is no cure for polio. If a child gets infected with this disease, they will be paralyzed forever. The only way to prevent polio is vaccination, and no child should be left out of vaccination.”
He said that while there are vaccines and other related facilities to prevent polio in the whole country, still the positive cases of polio are not acceptable at all.
