Parents To Be Jailed And Fined For Refusing Child Polio Vaccination
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Sindh Governor Kamran Tessori has endorsed the Sindh Immunization and Epidemics Control Bill 2023, introducing penalties including fines and imprisonment for parents declining vaccinations for their children.
As per the law, the respective deputy commissioner (DC) is empowered to enforce penalties under Section (1). Parents found guilty will encounter a one-month jail sentence and a PKR 50,000 fine.
Read more :Â Anti-Polio Drive to Begin on Aug 7
During the national polio vaccination campaign from January 2-29, statistics revealed that over 62,000 parents rejected vaccinating their children.
Throughout January’s three-phase anti-polio campaign, 62,411 parents declined administering the polio vaccine to their children. A significant portion of these parents hailed from Sindh, sources indicated.
Polio, a highly contagious and debilitating ailment, usually spreads through contaminated water or food. It invades the nervous system and can lead to complete paralysis in a matter of hours.
The virus is particularly prevalent in the border regions between Pakistan and Afghanistan, where anti-polio teams have been targeted by militants, sometimes resulting in fatalities.
