PESHAWAR: The government is looking towards United Arab Emirates to continue the much-needed vaccination campaign as five more polio cases have been reported from Khyber and South Waziristan agencies.

The UAE has started financing vaccination campaign in Federally Administered Tribal Areas following stoppage of funding for immunisation by international donor agencies, according to relevant officials.

The pollo count in the country now stands at 127, which highest among the endemic countries in the world, with Fata topping the list with 94 cases.

On Thursday, National Institute of Health Islamabad confirmed poliovirus in 18-month-old Hamza, 13-month-old Bilal and Khizr Hayat of Bara tehsil and nine-month-old Ibrahim of Jamrud tehsil Khyber Agency. Three-and-halfyear-old Adia, resident of Birmal tehsil in SouthWaziristan Agency was also tested positive for polio. All the infected children didn`t get anti-polio vaccine owing to lack of accessibility.

UAE had pledged $8 million for vaccination campaigns in Fata and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa as part of Pakistan Assistance Programme. The amount will be enough to run vaccination drives till end of September after which the programme is likely to be extended for the next three years.

After the failure of federal and provincial governments to eradicate polio despite two decades of vaccination, there is acute shortage of funds as donor agencies are no longer willing to finance vaccination drives in the country and the government banks solely on UAE as its last ditch effort to wipe out the childhood ailment.

Not only the government needed UAE`s financial assistance but it also wanted the brotherly Muslim country to convey to the people about its association with the campaign to brush aside the misconception regarding the vaccination.

Authorities are planning to make a request for more funds to be able to continue its vaccination programme in Fata and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

About 80,000 children missed vaccination in Fata and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa because their parents wrongly believed that it was designed bythe US and west to render the recipients impotent and infertile and cut down the population of Muslims.

So far, authorities have carried out four vaccination campaigns in June, one in August and five more will take place in September in Bara. One campaign has been conducted in entire Fata and another will start from Sept 29.

Initially, the UAE had pledged to assist vaccination in Fata only but later extended it to the adjacent Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, which has recorded 20 polio cases this year so far and is the bigger threat to the global polio eradication initiative after Fata.

Two campaigns have been conducted, one in nine and one in 10 districts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. In June, the province carried out campaigns in high-risk districts including Peshawar, Charsadda, Kohat, Karak, Hangu, Lakki Marwat, Bannu, D.L Khan and Tank whereas the second drive conducted in Malakand and Dir Lower.

Officials told Dawn that discussion with UAE regarding obtaining funds for vaccination was in progress. They hoped that they would get the assistance. `The government has virtually no funds to run immunisation drive and looks towards UAE for the purpose,` they said.