[dropcap]E[/dropcap]radicating polio has been a global mission of the World Health Organization for quite some time. Polio: an infectious disease that spreads from person to person that mainly affects children under five years of age is often a fatal disease and has been completely eradicated from Western society. Despite progress in the Western world, there is no denial that polio is still a problem among Eastern society. The prevalence of polio has been endemic to Pakistan, Afghanistan and Nigeria. Among these three countries, Pakistan has seen a significant rise in polio cases over the last two years; the biggest spike was this past year.  

There has been a great deal of controversy surrounding the vaccination. Various terrorist groups have banned the vaccination due to the pretense of another incident where DNA collection for a certain terrorist’s family was disguised as a hepatitis B vaccine. As a result, many polio vaccination workers and vaccination stations have been targeted. No one terrorist group has been identified, but it is evident that high risk areas are no longer the only places being targeted, but areas that used to be deemed as low-risk are also now cause for concern. Cases of polio in Syria and Egypt have been traced back to Pakistan. A misconstrued idea about the vaccine causing sterility among children is prevalent amidst many parents, preventing children from receiving the vaccination. It is imperative that the Pakistani government educate its citizens about the disease and ensure that the administering of the vaccination can be done in a safe and secure environment. This is not only a vital part in promoting the eradication of polio globally but is also a vital part in protecting children from a preventable disease.