Over 5,000 parents refuse polio drops to children

QUETTA: More than 5,000 parents in Balochistan have refused to allow health workers to administer polio drops to their children.

Officials of the provincial health department said that their rising refusal cases were disturbing in the fight against the crippling disease as so far this year 14 positive cases have been reported in Balochistan.

The officials said that the refusal cases were reported from different parts of Balochistan during the recently held seven-day polio campaign in the province.

During they campaign that continued from September 9 to September 15, over 5,000 parents refused to administer polio drops to their children.

The officials said that the 14 positive cases in Balochistan this year were the highest in the whole country and most of the cases were reported from the district of Qila Abdullah.

Authorities in the health department expressed serious concern over the refusal cases in Balochistan and said that it would have a very negative impact on the government efforts to eliminate the crippling disease from the country.

It may be noted here that polio has been eliminated from the world decades ago but Pakistan abd Afghanistan are the only two countries which have been unable to fully protect its children from the disease.