“My work is to sensitize communities about polio virus so that they agree to administer the vaccine to their children during every immunization campaign. I am a messenger and I inform people about the disadvantages of refusing the vaccine as well as the larger impact that it can have on Pakistan as well as the rest of the world. We are very close to eradicating polio. In 2011 there were 198 cases and in 2012 that figure came down to 58. I always tell people we are the only one of three countries that are still polio endemic. Apart from the fact that refusing the vaccine endangers the future of our children, I also remind people that Pakistan may have to face travel restrictions if we do not get rid of the virus.”
Ghazala Mushtaq
Social Mobilizer
Peshawar, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Province