Read the editorial, ‘A War worth winning’, and briefly answer the following questions.

a. Why Pakistan has failed to win the war against Polio? What, according to the author, are the causes?
b. What is the way out? Analyze the analogy given by the author.
c. Why war against Polio is worth winning? How to win it? (Your views)
A War Worth Winning (Dawn- December 1, 2014)
WHILE much of the world has attained polio-free status, and polio-endemic countries like Afghanistan
and Nigeria are at least moving in the right direction, Pakistan, the only other polio-endemic country, is
on a deadly backward slide. The tally so far this year, 260 and counting, is the highest number of cases in
a year since 2000. The complex environment that bedevils the polio eradication effort in this country was
brought home once again last Thursday when four polio workers, three of them women, were killed and
three others injured when gunmen attacked them in Quetta.

Rumours, which later proved unfounded, that WHO was terminating anti-polio operations in Balochistan
following the murders sowed panic among health officials.

However, the issue of security, starkly illustrated by the murder of more than 60 polio workers or
members of their security detail in Pakistan since 2012, is only one of several obstacles that hamper polio
vaccination campaigns here. Refusals by parents occur with disturbing frequency throughout the country,
even among more educated, urban populations. The government could take a leaf out of India`s book in
this respect: the country achieved polio-free status earlier this year and has earned international accolades
for its innovative programme and homegrown strategies. Significantly, refusals there were reportedly
found most often among Muslim communities. As a result, in 2004 for example, 62pc of polio cases in
India were among Muslim children Muslims account for only 13pc of the population. To address this,
ulema committees which included representatives of various Muslim sects as well as a doctor were
formed to allay parental reservations regarding polio vaccinations. This strategy is believed to have tipped
the balance in favour of the anti-polio effort in India. In Pakistan, an initiative some years ago involving
clerics in a polio communication campaign achieved appreciable results and it should be revitalised with
added innovations in light of the Indian experience. The effort must be reinforced by a sustained media
campaign, particularly on TV and radio, in order to wrest the narrative from those who peddle
misinformation about the `danger` posed by the polio vaccine.

It may also be time to consider linking sanctions with parental refusals, perhaps in the form of making the
issuance or renewal of certain documents contingent upon parents allowing their children to be
vaccinated. While such measures may seem drastic, the situation has assumed such critical proportions
that it needs to be tackled on a war footing.