Despite a peace accord with TNSM and opening of qazi courts in Swat, NWFP government is still unable to start anti-polio drive in Swat district, where about 376,000 kids were awaiting polio drops. National Immunisation Drive (NID) officials told Daily Times that the NWFP government had cancelled anti-polio drive (March 16-18) in the district because of negative propaganda by some elements and unrest in the district.
They said kids would get polio drops after complete peace was restored to the district. Dr Iftikhar said NID had included district Swat in a plan for immunisation against polio.
The NWFP government on May 21, 2008, signed an agreement with Swat Taliban in which the Taliban had agreed that the government could resume drives against contagious diseases including polio but the government had yet to be able to resume anti-polio drive.
TTP Swat Chief Mulla Fazlullah had been airing propaganda through his illegal FM radio station that polio drive was a Jewish/American conspiracy to 'sterilise' Muslims and told people not to give their kids polio drops.
Dr Iftikhar said about 50 percent areas of Bajaur and Mohmand Agencies were being covered during in the recent polio drive.
Dr Khalid, senior surveillance officer of WHO, said the recent surge in polio cases was due to law and order situation which made all immunisation drives harder. He said about 700,000 children missed polio drops in every such campaign.
He said most of the cases were of P-3 type and its linkage could be found in cross-border movement with Afghanistan.
He said the WHO had allocated Rs 22 million to each vaccination campaign.