Parents in Pakistan arrested for polio vaccine refusal: a necessary step?
2015; Elsevier BV; Volume: 385; Issue: 9977 Linguagem: Inglês
10.1016/s0140-6736(15)60751-6
ISSN1474-547X
AutoresSyed Ather Hussain, Ritesh G. Menezes, Sharath Burugina Nagaraja,
Tópico(s)Viral Infections and Immunology Research
ResumoPakistan's vaccination drive against polio has encountered many adversities in the past few years. The vaccination drive received hostility from militant groups when it was used as cover to spy on Taliban hideouts. In retaliation, extremist groups have killed about 60 polio vaccine workers, which further hindered progress of the vaccine drive.1Hussain SA Nagaraja SB Menezes RG Military intervention: the last option for polio eradication in Pakistan?.J Infect Public Health. 2015; (published online Feb 28.)https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jiph.2015.01.003Summary Full Text Full Text PDF Scopus (3) Google Scholar Additionally, some in the general population have misconceptions about the vaccine. Until now, the government has not taken a hard line, which is necessary to control this issue.On March 2, 2015, police in Khyber–Pakhtunkhwa province, Pakistan, arrested more than 450 parents after they refused to vaccinate their children against polio virus because of some religious fears and myths associated with vaccination (such as sterilisation).2Iqbal A Police arrest parents for refusing polio vaccine.Newsweek Pakistan (Lahore). March 2, 2015; (accessed March 5, 2015).http://newsweekpakistan.com/police-arrest-parents-for-refusing-polio-vaccine/Google Scholar, 3Iaccino L Pakistan jails 471 parents who refuse to vaccinate children against polio.International Business Times (London). March 3, 2015; (accessed March 5, 2015).http://www.ibtimes.co.uk/pakistan-jails-471-parents-who-refuse-vaccinate-children-against-polio-1490231Google Scholar The parents later signed an agreement to cooperate in administration of the polio vaccine to their children. The police felt the need to intervene because the number of polio cases in the province had increased by 96% in the previous year.2Iqbal A Police arrest parents for refusing polio vaccine.Newsweek Pakistan (Lahore). March 2, 2015; (accessed March 5, 2015).http://newsweekpakistan.com/police-arrest-parents-for-refusing-polio-vaccine/Google Scholar In Khyber–Pakhtunkhwa province, parents have repeatedly refused to vaccinate their children against polio in the past. In 2015 alone, thousands of children aged less than 5 years have been deprived of the vaccine because their parents refused. Hundreds of refusals are reported in the city of Peshawar alone.3Iaccino L Pakistan jails 471 parents who refuse to vaccinate children against polio.International Business Times (London). March 3, 2015; (accessed March 5, 2015).http://www.ibtimes.co.uk/pakistan-jails-471-parents-who-refuse-vaccinate-children-against-polio-1490231Google ScholarWe think that the Government of Pakistan should be commended for taking such a bold move to tackle this public health issue. This incident will certainly make people understand the gravity of the polio crisis in Pakistan, and will change the incorrect mindset of a section of the population.We declare no competing interests. Pakistan's vaccination drive against polio has encountered many adversities in the past few years. The vaccination drive received hostility from militant groups when it was used as cover to spy on Taliban hideouts. In retaliation, extremist groups have killed about 60 polio vaccine workers, which further hindered progress of the vaccine drive.1Hussain SA Nagaraja SB Menezes RG Military intervention: the last option for polio eradication in Pakistan?.J Infect Public Health. 2015; (published online Feb 28.)https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jiph.2015.01.003Summary Full Text Full Text PDF Scopus (3) Google Scholar Additionally, some in the general population have misconceptions about the vaccine. Until now, the government has not taken a hard line, which is necessary to control this issue. On March 2, 2015, police in Khyber–Pakhtunkhwa province, Pakistan, arrested more than 450 parents after they refused to vaccinate their children against polio virus because of some religious fears and myths associated with vaccination (such as sterilisation).2Iqbal A Police arrest parents for refusing polio vaccine.Newsweek Pakistan (Lahore). March 2, 2015; (accessed March 5, 2015).http://newsweekpakistan.com/police-arrest-parents-for-refusing-polio-vaccine/Google Scholar, 3Iaccino L Pakistan jails 471 parents who refuse to vaccinate children against polio.International Business Times (London). March 3, 2015; (accessed March 5, 2015).http://www.ibtimes.co.uk/pakistan-jails-471-parents-who-refuse-vaccinate-children-against-polio-1490231Google Scholar The parents later signed an agreement to cooperate in administration of the polio vaccine to their children. The police felt the need to intervene because the number of polio cases in the province had increased by 96% in the previous year.2Iqbal A Police arrest parents for refusing polio vaccine.Newsweek Pakistan (Lahore). March 2, 2015; (accessed March 5, 2015).http://newsweekpakistan.com/police-arrest-parents-for-refusing-polio-vaccine/Google Scholar In Khyber–Pakhtunkhwa province, parents have repeatedly refused to vaccinate their children against polio in the past. In 2015 alone, thousands of children aged less than 5 years have been deprived of the vaccine because their parents refused. Hundreds of refusals are reported in the city of Peshawar alone.3Iaccino L Pakistan jails 471 parents who refuse to vaccinate children against polio.International Business Times (London). March 3, 2015; (accessed March 5, 2015).http://www.ibtimes.co.uk/pakistan-jails-471-parents-who-refuse-vaccinate-children-against-polio-1490231Google Scholar We think that the Government of Pakistan should be commended for taking such a bold move to tackle this public health issue. This incident will certainly make people understand the gravity of the polio crisis in Pakistan, and will change the incorrect mindset of a section of the population. We declare no competing interests. Polio vaccination in Pakistan: by force or by volition?In the Correspondence section, Hussain and colleagues1 praised an aggressive manoeuvre by the Pakistani Government to ensure polio vaccination in Pakistan by arresting parents who refused to vaccinate their children. In response, Khan and Ahmad2 noted that the main barriers to polio eradication in certain parts of Pakistan are public attitudes and misconceptions—ie, civilians in the northern tribal areas generally believe that vaccination programmes have been used by the USA to spy on militant groups. Full-Text PDF Polio vaccination in PakistanSyed Hussain and colleagues (April 18, p 1509)1 praised the Pakistani Government for arresting parents who refused poliovirus vaccination for their children, calling it a bold move to address the serious issue of polio in Pakistan. This statement gives the impression that parental refusal of child vaccination is the main reason for the failure of polio campaigns in Pakistan; however, this is not the case. Of 34·7 million children targeted for vaccination in March, 2015, only 33 695 (<1%) children were missed because of their parents' refusal. Full-Text PDF
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