THE statistics are sobering. Despite frantic efforts to contain its spread, the tally of polio cases this year has already risen to 17. What is even more concerning is the geographical distribution of the disease. The latest cases include one each from KP`s Lakki Marwat and North Waziristan, and one from Sindh`s Umerkot. A 15-month-old girl from Takhtikhel, a sixmonth-old girl from Mir Ali, and a five-year-old boy from Chajro now face a lifetime of physical impairment because they were not inoculated before they fell victim to the disease. Of the national tally of 17, 10 cases are from KP, five from Sindh, and one each from Punjab and Gilgit-Baltistan. Each of those cases represents a threat to the communities in which they were detected. `It is crucial for communities to understand that poliovirus can resurface wherever immunity gaps exist. Every unvaccinated child is at risk and can also pose a risk to others,` the Pakistan Polio Eradication Programme has warned in a statement.

This is, to put it mildly, extremely alarming. Polio is a highly infectious and incurable disease that can leave its victims with lifelong paralysis. The only reliable means of protection against it, the oral vaccine, is administered to all children under five by national health workers who brave all manner of hardship, including deadly attacks, as they go door to door to fulfil their critical responsibility. Yet, despite all the human effort and material resources that are expended on making Pakistan poliofree, misguided parents continue to reject the vaccine, putting not only their children but also others at risk of the cruel disease.

There remains a `persistent risk to children, especially in areas where vaccine acceptance remains low`, the PPEP has warned.

The government must deal with this risk with the seriousness and commitment it deserves. It appears to be dropping the ball on polio eradication, and course correction is needed immediately.