The Hindu Business Line : Bowling out polio through cricket

THE intense rivalry between India and Pakistan on and off the field notwithstanding, cricket can be a game of great bonding between the two countries. The ongoing Indo-Pak series is not only expected to spread the message of peace and goodwill but the excitement and enthusiasm that it has generated is also being exploited to focus on healthcare programmes for mutual benefit.

Such is the fan following on both sides of the border that the health authorities have started utilising the services of Indian and Pakistani cricketers to give a big boost to the polio eradication campaign in the two countries.

After the toss of the Lahore Test Match on Monday, the captains of both the teams, Rahul Dravid and Inzamam ul Haq joined children holding a `Bowl Out Polio' banner on the Ghaddafi Stadium grounds, highlighting the urgency to stamp out the debilitating disease from India and Pakistan.

The two captains asked parents in both countries to ensure that their children received the two polio drops during each immunisation round, so that they could be easily protected from the disease and be fit to play cricket or any other game of their choice. Just as no team can afford to miss a single catch, the captains wanted to make sure that no child was missed during the polio immunisation rounds in India and in Pakistan till polio is completely eradicated from both countries.

A national immunisation drive to reach every single child under the age of five with the two vital polio drops is under way in India. The child population in this age group is close to 165 million children. In Pakistan, the next polio immunisation drive covering 30 million children is scheduled to begin from April 20-22. The Health Ministries of both the countries and their partner agencies are hoping to carry the message to parents and communities in every nook and corner of the two countries through the power of cricket.

Incidentally, India and Pakistan are among the last six polio endemic countries where the polio virus is still in transmission. The other countries include Nigeria, Egypt, Afghanistan and Niger. The disease can be eradicated completely from the world only if transmission of the virus is cut off in these countries and not a single case occurs anywhere.

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