Drive Against Polio Hit by Rumours, Litigation

This article describes public concerns regarding the reliability and safety of oral polio vaccine (OPV) in Pakistan, currently one of the four remaining polio endemic countries in the world. Rumours that the vaccine causes impotency and is contaminated by estrogen have reached Peshawar's High Court system, following a petition filed by a resident of the city who is seeking closure of the 167 million US dollar programme.

Ghulam Nabi, the petitioner, is concerned about the vaccine impacting the reproductive system, and argues that its distribution in Pakistan violates constitutional rights regarding life and family practices. Representatives from the Polio Eradication Initiative (PEI) are concerned that these rumours will increase resistance in religious groups and other populations, and may spark a vaccine boycott similar to the one witnessed in Nigeria in mid-2003.

In response to these allegations, Hussein A. Gezairy, the World Health Organization’s director for the Eastern Mediterranean region, wrote to Pakistan's federal health minister seeking his assistance. He states "I am very concerned that the rumors about vaccine safety are spreading to other provinces, particularly in Sindh. It is unfortunate that (Pakistan's) achievements are being put in jeopardy and that children are threatened of being deprived of living in a polio-free country because of issues not relevant to the programme, such as...unfounded rumors spreading in NWFP about the safety of the vaccine."