Eradicating polio isn’t an easy task
PAKTIA, Afghanistan 20th December 2021- On the snowy mountainous ranges of Paktia Province, southeast of Afghanistan, polio workers Qari Samiullah and Saidullah are on their way to Karkin village in Mirzaka District to vaccinate children against polio. The December 2021 national campaigns have started, Qari and Samiullah are determined to reach their vaccination targets despite the challenging weather conditions.
“It’s bitter cold here, the heavy snow with slippery terrain makes our job very hard,” said Saidullah a polio vaccinator. “But we know children in this village are vulnerable to polio disease. It is our duty to ensure every child is vaccinated.” He added.
In the same region, early January 2021 a wild poliovirus case was confirmed in Ghazni district, where the ban on house-to house vaccination campaigns had been in place since 2018. The ban widened children’s immunity gap and the December 2021 campaign was an opportunity to reach the unvaccinated children for the second time in three years.
“In spite of the weather, we have challenges with refusals,” said Qari Samiullah a Polio volunteer. “The community needs to be made aware of the importance of polio vaccination. I would request the polio programme to increase community engagement and public awareness in the southeast region.” He explained. Afghanistan’s volatile situation continues to present a challenge to the programme ability to achieve polio-free status, however, the real fight against polio remains at the frontlines, where the community vaccine acceptance efforts need to be intensified.
