Parents who choose not to vaccinate their children face fines and maybe jail time after Governor Kamran Tessori of Sindh approved the Sindh Immunization and Epidemics Control Bill 2023.
The law gives the relevant DC the authority to issue fines for violations of Section (1). The parents are being fined PKR 50,000 and facing a one-month jail sentence if found guilty. Statistics showed in February that during the nationwide polio vaccination campaign (January 02-29), over 62,000 parents chose not to get their children vaccinated.
Sixty-two thousand and four hundred and eleven parents opted out of vaccinating their children against polio during the three-part anti-polio campaign held in January. According to reports, parents from Sindh made up the bulk of those who chose not to vaccinate their children against polio.
Parents must be educated about polio
Polio is a crippling disease that can be contracted via ingesting contaminated water or food. The disease can invade the nerve system and result in complete paralysis within a matter of hours.
Militants in the borderlands between Pakistan and Afghanistan attacked and even killed anti-polio troops, allowing the deadly virus to flourish.
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