Ulema and prayer leaders in Quetta region have agreed to play their role in making the polio eradication campaign a success by persuading parents to get their children vaccinated against the crippling disease. They made this announcement at a conference organised by the Emergency Operation Centre (EOC), Balochistan, at Sikandar Jamili hall in the provincial secretariat. At this occasion a seniro cleric Mr Rehman urged the clerics to create awareness among the masses about the importance of polio vaccination. “People listen to ulema and follow them. Therefore, they should get involved in the polio drive and fulfil their social responsibility as the future of our children is at stake.”The ulema, he said, could use their Friday sermons to spread awareness. He said parents did not have the right to deny polio drops because unvaccinated children were more at the risk of contracting the disease. In 2015 four case of polio have been reported in Balochistan and 26 in Pakistan during the year 2015.As many as 23 cases of poliovirus were detected in Balochistan in 2014. Meanwhile, at least nine polio workers and security guards have so far been killed during the last five months in Quetta and Zhob. Convincing the religious leaders of high-risk communities to join the campaign is the best way to tackle the root of the problem. Many parents refuse vaccinations due to religious misconceptions and false beliefs instilled by conspiracy theorists of impotency if administered to children. The high success rate of eradication of Polio cannot just be conferred to the military operation, but also to the Tribal leaders and religious leaders in FATA who have been playing an equally important role for the last year and a half in changing peoples perception.Another successful example of using the informal religious network was to take appropriate and effective steps to ensure safety and well being of Mother and Child health in Punjab. The high mortality rate of mothers and newborns was due to the alarming lack of awareness among people of backward and remote places, where they refused to allow pregnant women to consult doctors during their pregnancy. The campaign called for providing these women prenatal as well as postnatal care, and with the help of the Ulema, the campaign was a success in five districts of Punjab after which they called for better cooperation with religious leaders of districts beyond their network, to help spread the message.
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