Pakistani Parents Arrested - A first-ever mass arrest was conducted by Pakistani authorities on hundreds of parents in northwest Pakistan for refusing polio vaccine to their children, according to the BBC. The Pakistani parents arrested were jailed on charges of endangering public security after, according to officials Monday.
Authorities have reportedly made scattered arrests in the past already for the same reason - polio refusals. However, the recent Pakistani parents arrested in such a widespread scale are rare.
"This is the first time such drastic action was taken," said Feroz Shah on the recent Pakistani parents arrested. "This shows determination of the government to eradicate polio."
Shah is a spokesman for the district administration in Peshawar, capital of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province.
Meanwhile, Riaz Khan Mahsud, the deputy police commissioner for Peshawar, told the New York Times that the force is dealing with between 13,000 and 16,000 refusal cases. Still, they are adamant in convincing parents to have their children vaccinated against the virus.
"There is no leniency" if parents refuse, said Mahsud.
The b Pakistani parents arrested involved 471 people. They have reportedly been detained by Peshawar authorities in the north-west of the country.
According to the local government, they will only be freed once they have pledged in writing to vaccinate their children.
An unnamed senior government official also said that the recent Pakistani parents arrested and the arrests are working to convince parents to vaccinate their children. The official said parents are now agreeing to vaccinate their children to avoid arrest. He added that others are even persuaded after only a "few days behind bars", reported The Independent.
The Pakistani government has reportedly declared "war" on the disease.
"We have decided to deal with the refusal cases with iron hands. Anyone who refuses will be sent to jail," said Mahsud.
Pakistan is one of only three countries where the virus has remained endemic and contains the vast majority of polio cases globally, making the Pakistani parents arrested beneficial.
In 2014, polio cases in the country have reportedly reached a 14 year high of 306. Nine new cases have also been detected this year.
The disease has remained common after the Taliban banned vaccinations, resulting in the attack on medical workers, according to the Associated Press. The Taliban have claimed that the vaccination drive on the virus is just a front for espionage to sterilise Muslims. In November of last year, four polio vaccination workers were shot dead in the south-west city of Quetta.
The Pakistani parents arrested may seem extreme, but the method is working in convincing parents to have their children vaccinated. Hopefully, the method will continue working and no other health workers will be put at risk.
This article is copyrighted by Travelers Today, the travel news leader
