Beruflich Dokumente
Kultur Dokumente
By: Hadia Yousaf
March 10, 2011 ‐ A virus that can cause irreversible paralysis and mainly strikes children under five, polio
cannot be cured, only prevented through vaccination. In Pakistan, International Medical Corps’ teams
recently took part in National Immunization Days (NIDs) – organized by the local Ministry of Health in
cooperation with WHO – to successfully vaccinate 100% of the target population in camps for Afghan
refugees as well as host communities in the surrounding areas.
Polio was largely eradicated through the WHO‐supported Global Polio Eradication Initiative established
in 1988 which led to a 99 percent decrease of the virus worldwide. Although there have been recent
outbreaks of the disease in areas including central Africa as of 2010, only four countries in the world
remain polio‐endemic: Nigeria, India, Afghanistan and Pakistan.
International Medical Corps has worked in Pakistan since 1984, providing primary health care services to
internally displaced Pakistanis in the frontier areas and comprehensive basic health services to Afghan
refugees living in the country. In Pakistan’s Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Province, our teams are providing
community‐based primary healthcare services as well as working to respond to and prevent gender‐
based violence among Afghan refugees in seven camps.
Throughout 2010, International Medical Corps participated in the NIDs campaign to implement polio
vaccinations to children under five in Afghan camps including Koga (District Buner), Baraki I, Baraki II
(District Swabi), Mera Kachori, Baghbanan, Zandai and Mattani in Peshawar as well as the local adjacent
communities. As polio vaccines must be administered multiple times in order for a child to be
completely immune, NIDs were held every 30‐40 days throughout the year.
“Initially, we were not aware of the polio vaccine and thought it might be dangerous for our children,”
said one parent in Mera Kachori camp, “International Medical Corps, through health education sessions,
informed us about the purpose and benefits of immunization. Since then all our family and neighbors
participate actively in NIDs campaign and bring their children to be vaccinated against polio.”
Through 11 NIDs in 2010, International Medical Corps covered a catchment population of 140,202
Afghan refugees. Our teams successfully vaccinated approximately 23,600 children under five during
each NID which resulted in 100% vaccination coverage by the end of 2010. In total, International
Medical Corps administered 259,780 polio vaccine doses.
“We are very thankful to International Medical Corps for providing health services at the Basic Health
Unit and at our doorstep free of charge,” said another parent whose child had just been vaccinated.
International Medical Corps encouraged community participation and coordinated with community
elders from the camps who helped communicate the availability of vaccinations and other health
services to newly arrived refugees.
Since its inception 25 years ago, International Medical Corps’ mission has been consistent: relieve the
suffering of those impacted by war, natural disaster, and disease, by delivering vital health care
services that focus on training. This approach of helping people help themselves is critical to returning
devastated populations to self-reliance. For more information visit:
www.InternationalMedicalCorps.org, or follow on Facebook and Twitter.