PESHAWAR
The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa has recorded a significant decrease in anti-polio refusal cases as according to Emergency Operation Center, KP, a reduction of 35 percent was recorded among families refusing anti-polio drops to their children during the vaccination carried out in the month of June.
The Center said that a drop of 25 percent was recorded among children left deprived of the anti-polio drops in the province.
Last year, all the 20 polio attack cases were reported from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa however this year the number of polio cases significantly dropped to only one.
The Center further said that in 2016 for the first time the anti-polio campaign received the strong support of Ulema when several families were reluctant to administer anti-polio drops to their children owing to the negative propaganda against the vaccination.
It said that the Ulema support highly helped in the success of the anti-polio vaccination as earlier people considered these drops against the religious obligations. It said that even in some cases the refusing parents were now administering anti-polio shots to their children.
Meanwhile, Maulana Raees Khan of Darul Uloom Hayatabad has said that earlier some people were refusing anti-polio drops to their children only due to misperceptions however, he said when we persuaded them through the teachings of the Holy Quran, the people were now administering anti-polio drops to their children.
He further said that reservations of the refusing parents were addressed through local jirgas and the Ulema not only met with the parents but also held discussions with the health authorities to bring more material for convincing the parents.
