The post Polio-free Pakistan: The Challenge of High-Risk Districts appeared first on Tabadlab | Understanding Change.
Read the complete First Response here.
After more than a year of no cases in Pakistan, fourteen cases of wild poliovirus have been detected in southern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) as of August 2022.
Pakistan’s Polio Eradication Programme has scaled up remarkably well, and thus contained the virus from spreading. However, it continues to exist and circulate through six high-risk districts in southern KP.
These areas have unique challenges in terms of insecurity, post-conflict rebuilding, administrative flux, and the Tochi River acting as a connection of water channels from Afghanistan to Pakistan’s Indus River.
These challenges will require novel approaches to permanently interrupt the circulation of wild poliovirus in Pakistan. This can be done by:
enhancing the public service ecosystem for vulnerable communities
making immunisation a priority point in the TTP negotiations
structurally recalibrating the polio eradication programme to increase worker motivations and synergise with other health interventions
leveraging technologies for better access and microplanning.
For Pakistan to reach the finish line in becoming polio-free, it is critical to understand the complex challenges specific to the high-risk districts and how they can be addressed.
Read and download the complete PDF here.
The post Polio-free Pakistan: The Challenge of High-Risk Districts appeared first on Tabadlab | Understanding Change.