Dr. Haji Mohammad Hanif Tayyab, Chairman of the Rotary Ulama Committee for Polio Eradication and Chief Patron of Al-Mustafa Welfare Society, expressed concern over the alarming rise in polio cases in Pakistan, with 55 reported so far in 2024, compared to just 6 cases in 2023. This increase is a serious cause for concern, and it calls for immediate attention.

According to a statement from Al-Mustafa Welfare Society, Dr. Tayyab stated that, according to the National Emergency Operation Center, of the 55 reported cases, 26 are from Balochistan, 14 from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, 13 from Sindh, and one each from Punjab and Islamabad. He emphasized that while the situation is worrying, it must be acknowledged that Pakistan had previously reported thousands of polio cases. However, due to the tireless efforts of the government, social organizations, religious leaders, and scholars, the country is now on the brink of eradicating polio.

Dr. Tayyab urged both the federal and provincial governments to collaborate with social institutions and create a joint strategy to address the issue and investigate why there has been such a rise in cases this year.

In this regard, he recommended that the federal and provincial governments organize conventions with religious scholars to discuss how polio vaccination efforts can be strengthened and what obstacles polio workers are facing. He stressed that only through collective efforts will Pakistan and Afghanistan be able to rid themselves of polio.

Dr. Tayyab further noted that during the Islamabad conference, scholars from all sects of Islam had declared the polio vaccine as permissible under Islam. However, negative propaganda continues to prevent some parents from allowing their children to receive the vaccine, and this remains the greatest barrier to eradicating polio. He emphasized that a child disabled by polio is incurable, and the only protection against the disease is vaccination.