Polio vaccination made mandatory for birth, marriage and death certificates

Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) led Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) government has linked issuance of important official certificates with polio vaccination.

In 2024, Pakistan has reported 64 polio cases so far.

As per details, the issuance of birth, marriage, and death certificates has been made conditional upon the administration of anti-polio drops in seven tehsils of Peshawar.

According to the notification issued by the deputy commissioner, a verification certificate from the district health office confirming polio vaccination is now mandatory in seven tehsils of Peshawar for obtaining birth, marriage and death certificates.

Officials state that this step has been taken to ensure compliance from parents who refuse to vaccinate their children against polio.

Authorities reveal that several areas in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa still face resistance from parents regarding polio vaccination.

Earlier, PM Shehbaz Sharif launched the anti-polio drive by administering polio drops to children under five years of age, emphasizing the government’s commitment to completely eradicate polio virus from Pakistan.

During the inauguration, the prime minister highlighted the growing concern of rising polio cases, with around 60 new reported cases, but assured that with the combined efforts of the federal and provincial governments, the country would overcome this challenge.

Speaking on the occasion, Prime Minister Shehbaz expressed his gratitude to the international partners who had supported Pakistan in the fight against polio, including the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, the World Health Organization (WHO), and the government of Saudi Arabia.

Symptoms and risk

Polio is a highly infectious disease caused by a virus. It invades the nervous system and can cause total paralysis in a matter of hours.

The virus is transmitted by person-to-person spread mainly through the faecal-oral route or, less frequently, by a common vehicle (for example, contaminated water or food) and multiplies in the intestine. Initial symptoms are fever, fatigue, headache, vomiting, stiffness of the neck and pain in the limbs.

One in 200 infections leads to irreversible paralysis (usually in the legs). Among those paralysed, 5–10% die when their breathing muscles become immobilized.

The disease mainly affects children under 5 years of age. However, anyone of any age who is unvaccinated can contract the disease.

There is no cure for the crippling disease, it can only be prevented. Polio vaccine, given multiple times, can protect a child for life.

There are two vaccines available: oral polio vaccine and inactivated polio vaccine. Both are effective and safe, and both are used in different combinations worldwide, depending on local epidemiological and programmatic circumstances, to ensure the best possible protection to populations can be provided.