Balochistan: Religious Leaders to Play Role in Polio Campaign in September

QUETTA – Emergency Operation Center (EOC) Balochistan’s coordinator Dr. Sayed Saif Ur Rehman has said that religious clerics and prayer leaders will play their rule in persuading the parents to administer anti-polio drops to their children in September’s anti-polio campaign in Balochistan.

Addressing a news conference at EOC Balochistan on Tuesday, Dr Syed Saif Ur Rehman said the religious leaders will be on field to persuade the parents who have refused to administer anti-polio drops to their children on religious ground,” he told the journalists. Ulema and prayers leaders were present on the occasion. Senior cleric Dr. Atha Ur Rehman and Maulana Anwar Ulhaq Haqani and other have assured their complete support.

He said as many as 20,000 children are not administered anti-polio drops following the refusal of the parents on different reasons. Majority of the refusals are covered but still a lot needs to be done.

“The chronic refusal on religious grounds is one of the major issues,” he said. “It will be tackled properly by religious influencers of the areas which are declared high risks.”

Dr. Syed Saif Ur Rehman said as many as four cases of crippling polio disease have so far been detected in Quetta, Qila Abdullah and Loralai during this year while there were 25 cases in Balochistan during the last year. “We all have to put the best efforts eradicate polio virus from Pakistan,” he said.

He said that government has taken this issue as a national cause and every single step is being taken which is necessary to eradicate polio virus.

Responding to a question, Dr. Syed Saif Ur Rehman said there are many reasons for refusal cases which have been separately categorized. “There will be one anti-polio campaign in each month during the next nine months,” he said citing frequent campaigns as one of the cases due to which parents refuse to administer anti-polio drops to their children.

The officials N-STOP, UNICEF, WHO and other partner agencies were present on the occasion.

Staff Report

Published in The Balochistan Point on August 5, 2015