The evil of polio

Sunil Laxman has an excellent article titled The cost of arms, legs or life itself describing at length how difficult it is to eradicate polio in poor countries due to rampant misconceptions. It’s amazing what stupid lies are promulgated sometimes just to keep certain communities backward. He says:

It’s surprising how many people believe that the polio drops are not vaccines, but drops given (especially) to girls to make them sterile and incapable of having children. Other equally powerful rumors float around that these pills make boys impotent, and meek, and will make them servile. Yet other rumors insist that this is a western ploy to destroy Islam. And a lot of these rumors come from local religious leaders, who insist that this is a targeted government campaign to wipe out muslims. And why can’t these people learn from other muslim countries like Egypt or even the extremely poor Bangladesh, where very promising strides have been taken towards polio eradication?

This is really sad because polio is an affliction that can ravage a life forever and that too when it is so easily controllable, as they say ?? ??????? ?????????? ?? (two drops of life) in the government sponsored campaigns. What sort of darkness do people live in to curse the children of their communities with devastating, fatal quite often, but avoidable poliovirus that not only afflicts the host but perpetually tries to colonize other hosts too.

There is an iota of truth in the various conspiracies being floated, and one is that “targeted campaign” thing. Of course there is a targeted campaign; but it is not to eradicate Muslims, but just to keep them in an irrevocable limbo. Sometimes I feel the community itself is its worse enemy.

But the thing is, it affects the other communities too who happen to be living with them. Alka often tells me about this incident in Gorakhpur. She was going to the local market when she saw a few kids — 4-5 in number ranging from 3-8 years in age –, supervised by an 8-year-old sister who seemed to be the eldest. They were the children of the nearby slum dwellers. They looked like a small army brimming with enthusiasm and spirit. Light heartedly Alka asked them where they were heading to. “We are all going to get the polio drops,” the eldest girl replied with a big smile. It’s sad to see that those children could get affected again just because some other families don’t get their children vaccinated.

There is a need for a concerted effort from all the quarters, from all the communities. I think the government is doing a good job. I remember when my mother was a teacher in a government school she used to get assigned to certain slums around the school, and along with other teachers she used to visit the areas to administer polio drops. Almost every two months there are polio eradication campaigns: last month health workers visited our building and went from door to door administering polio drops to children. We try to get Vasudha vaccinated as often as possible. Celebrities, even Muslim celebrities like Bollywood superstars and cricket player, appear on mainstream TV channels and prompt their communities to get their children vaccinated.

I think grassroots level campaigns are more effective, such as street plays, interactive sessions with the communities, making children aware at the primary school level, educating young parents. Above all, the religious leaders — I know it is an extremely uphill task — should be made aware. It should be put across to them in no uncertain terms that polio is a shaitan that is the enemy of their brethren.