Sir: I have been working as a regular volunteer for the polio campaign since 2011 in Multan district. My experience has made me aware of the severity of the polio virus in Pakistan. Thus, I wanted to bring to your attention a recent major development in global public health. In September this year, the World Health Organisation (WHO) declared Nigeria as a polio-free country. Nigeria was the last country in Africa with endemic polio virus, whereas in Asia there are only two countries — Pakistan and Afghanistan, where polio has never been eradicated. Polio vaccination campaigns in Pakistan have been overwhelmed by continuous setbacks. Pakistan has become the major supplier of confirmed polio cases over a couple of years. Some of the reasons why we have not yet succeeded in eradicating polio include a lack of awareness among the masses, poor health infrastructure, government negligence and most importantly the rising militancy. In the tribal areas, militancy has aggravated the problem further by putting many children at risk and not allowing vaccinators to reach those regions. An overwhelming 96 percent of polio cases so far have been reported from these zones. According to the official epidemiological data, over 40 percent of children in Khyber Agency and almost 46 percent in FR Kohat have not received any vaccination during the anti-polio campaigns. According to the report of 2013, as many as 51 polio cases had been detected in FATA and 19 in Khyber Agency. Besides violence, there are other factors that come in the way of polio eradication. The identification of polio cases in Punjab, Sindh and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa provinces is cause for concern. In these areas, vaccinations are administered by untrained staff. As the world stands on the verge of victory over polio, there is a need to address the loopholes in our system and the state and community should join hands to eradicate this menace once and for all. TAIBA SALEEM Via Email