Hello, I’m Namrata, a new contributor. I broke into the North Dakota headquarters a few months ago and ANNA decreed I was too small to be kicked out into the winter cold. When it warmed up everyone had gotten used to me, so finally Abhi and Ennis said I might as well earn my keep since I keep stealing their magazines out of the mailbox. One of the ones I like to steal is New Scientist, and there was some sad news from the desh in the latest issue:
Last month Abdul Ghani Khan, a senior Pakistani doctor, was killed by a remote-controlled bomb shortly after urging villagers to vaccinate their children. [link]
According to the Daily Times of Pakistan Dr. Khan was killed in Bajur Agency after trying to convince addressing a convening local jirga, or council; he was greeted angrily in an area where opposition to the vaccine has spread by word of mouth and radio sermon.
“As soon as we reached there, an armed prayer leader warned us against visiting the area. Some locals said: ‘On one hand, our enemy (a reference to the United States) is bombing us for no reason while on the other hand you are coming here disguised as polio campaigners to spread vulgarity,” [an injured companion of Dr. Khan] told Daily Times at the hospital. (link)The day before the Daily Times had reported that 24,000 children in Northern Pakistan have gone unvaccinated, and earlier Pakistan confirmed a sharp uptick in polio cases (28 to 39), concentrated in the borderlands with similarly troubled Afghanistan. To put this all in perspective, the two nations apparently did successfully immunize 2 million children only a few months ago.
Clerical exhortation can cut both ways:
In response, senior Muslims in Pakistan have issued pro-vaccination fatwa decrees. Some mothers are reportedly getting children vaccinated secretly for fear of local reprisals.[link]Last fall Saudia Arabia began requiring vaccination certificates for young pilgrims from polio-stricken countries; while many of these families are too young to make the voyage to Mecca, the news might travel back and influence parents, especially mothers.
Compared with fathers, however, mothers, when addressed alone, seem less hostile to the vaccine. “Women are often willing to have children vaccinated, but don’t dare defy their husbands or fathers-in-law,” said Shazia Irum, 27, a health worker in Pakistan’s programme to offer basic care to mothers and children.…The Pakistan government has also encouraged leading clerical figures to launch polio vaccination drives and messages about the benefits of the vaccine have been broadcast from mosques in many towns and villages.(link)Women sneaking away from their homes to immunize their children underscores the one iron-clad rule of development—educate and empower women, and you will help the whole society. Another common theme in articles about the crisis is distrust of foreign vaccines and foreign visitors. If you’re a brave, gold-hearted diaspora volunteer who might come off as more desi than pardesi, check out the options. Despite the grim news, when I look at the numbers I can’t help but feel that the martyrdom of Dr. Khan was not for nothing, and that diligent, unflagging efforts will ultimately succeed. It’s just important to nurture the local infrastructure and very important to not give up. Persistence pays off, much as I learned by sneaking in here.
