Health professionals are battling the bitter weather to vaccinate children against polio in the freezing slopes of Pakistan-administered Kashmir. The crews are committed to stopping the disease’s spread even though there is knee-deep snow and cold temperatures as low as minus six degrees Celsius.
Manzoor Ahmad, who is in charge of the Neelum Valley’s polio campaign, explained the difficult circumstances they encounter. “We braved three feet of snow to protect these kids, even though it’s a difficult, mountainous area,” he said.
Along with Afghanistan, Pakistan continues to be one of the remaining nations where polio is endemic. Concerningly, the number of cases reported nationwide increased to 73 last year from only six the year before. The goal of immunising 750,000 children under five throughout the week-long campaign has become even more urgent as a result of this rise.
Locals risk their lives to aid children in remote areas, such as Mehnaz, a social worker who has been helping teams since 2018. They do this without receiving a monthly salary. “For this cause, we abandon our families to climb glaciers and brave avalanches,” she said.
Vaccination crews frequently encounter resistance, which further complicates the situation. Health campaigns have become risky missions due to extremist threats and misleading information about the vaccine’s composition. In the northwest, a police officer guarding vaccines was cruelly assassinated only this week.
Nevertheless, many people take delight in the effort. The bravery and dedication of these remarkable people is demonstrated by the fact that Kashmir has not reported a single polio case in 24 years. Since oral immunisations can prevent polio cases, their efforts are a ray of hope for the disease’s eradication.
