Government officials believe the main factor contributing to the rise in polio is misapprehension and lack of awareness due to religious mindsets.
“One is surprised to find that among all the factors behind the setback in the polio immunisation campaign, the religious mindset is topping the list,” Shahnaz Wazir Ali, the prime minister’s special assistant, told The Express Tribune.
“The Taliban are also a major factor in hampering the polio eradication programme, which is, once again, believed by the majority to be a religious dynamic.”
“Fatwas issued by the Taliban disparaging the vaccination as an American ploy to make Muslims infertile, and a recent ban linking the campaign to a halt in drone strikes, greatly damaged the polio drive and it was very unfortunate that no prominent religious figure came up to assist us.” [The Express Tribune] Read more
