By Sher Ali
Polio workers in Pakistan have worked during floods in the past to continue their efforts in eradicating polio from the country. Pakistan is one of the few remaining countries where polio is still endemic, and vaccination campaigns have been ongoing for many years.
However, natural disasters such as floods can make it difficult for health workers to reach remote and vulnerable communities with polio vaccines. Despite these challenges, polio workers have shown incredible resilience and dedication to their work, often putting their own safety at risk to ensure that children receive the vaccines they need.
In 2022, for example, heavy flooding in the Punjab province of Pakistan disrupted vaccination campaigns in several districts. However, polio workers continued to carry out their work, often wading through waist-deep water to reach isolated communities. Thanks to their efforts, thousands of children were vaccinated against polio during the floods.
Overall, the commitment and hard work of polio workers in Pakistan and other countries have played a critical role in reducing the incidence of polio worldwide.
On 24 August, 2022, In Lodhran , Muhammd Aqeel took his bag and went to administer polio drops in a village at bank of River Satluj. He crossed the river with help of rope and reached at the village temporarily established on the bank of river Satluj. Someone had made his video viral. He was very enthusiastic to administer polio drops. According to him he knew the importance of polio drops. Actually, he wanted to eradicate polio from Pakistan. It was his aim to serve the nation by eradicating polio from the country so that no child could become victim of the disease.
It was not just one example cited above, there were many example in which polio workers administered polio drops while flood was on its peak in the districts of South Punjab.
The then Director General Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA) Faisal Fareed had said the floods had left a tale of pain, agony and sorrow in Southern districts of Punjab province . According to around at least 12 million people were affected during the flood.
People were shifted to temporarily established camps by the government of Punjab. In the camps, the health facilities were provided.
Polio workers administered polio drops in Rajan Pur during the floods. The World Health Organization (WHO) and other organizations provided support to local teams to ensure the delivery of these drops in the affected areas. Teams of health workers were mobilized to go door to door in order to ensure that every child under the age of five received the drops. They also used boats and other means of transportation to reach the most vulnerable and hard to reach areas. The polio drops were administered to children in the flooded areas to protect them from the virus and prevent the spread of the disease.
Rajan pur, the last district of Punjab province was severely affected by flood in 2022. Millions of people were internally displaced and they were asked to live in the camps established by the government of Punjab.
Lalan Mai, an aged woman, had to move out of her house as the area got flooded and she had no other option. She took her children to a safe place and started looking for a new place to live. The family had to go through a lot of hardships, but they were determined to live in a camp which was a safe place where they could be safe from flood.
She said that a polio team came there in the camp and administered the polio drops to her children so that could be safe from the disease of polio.
She further said that she came there in the camp so that she could get health facilties over there. According to her she had lost everything in the flood but did not want to lose her children because of diseases erupted during floods.
Deputy Commissioner Rajan Pur shared that medical camps were established in Rajan Pur , where Free medicines, treatment of diarrhoea and enteric fever, medicines for skin disease, eye infections and water purification tablets were provided to flood affectees. Furthermore, he shared that polio workers continued their efforts to administer polio drops.
