Authorities recover 20,000 soap bars for anti-polio campaigns being sold illegally in Peshawar
PESHAWAR: Pakistani authorities on Wednesday recovered 20,000 soap bars provided by the United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund (UNICEF) for exclusive use in anti-polio campaigns after they were found being illegally sold in the northwestern Peshawar city, the UN agency said.
Authorities seized the soap bars in a raid conducted at the city's famous Sabzi Mandi area, with UNICEF raising serious concerns about the diversion of humanitarian supplies to the open market.
'The seized consignment included approximately 20,000 soap bars, reportedly marked for exclusive use in Polio Campaigns,' the UN agency said.
UNICEF said provincial officials believe it is highly unlikely that such a large-scale misappropriation could have occurred without either the 'active involvement or gross negligence' of personnel within the provincial Health Department and UNICEF's local and national operations.
'Further investigations are underway to determine how the supplies were diverted from official distribution channels to Open Market,' the statement said. 'Authorities have not ruled out the possibility of collusion by insiders or lapses in oversight mechanisms.'
UNICEF said the incident underscored the critical need for greater accountability and monitoring in aid distribution processes, particularly in sensitive public health programs like the polio eradication campaign.
Polio is a paralyzing disease with no cure, making prevention through vaccination critical. Multiple doses of the oral polio vaccine, along with the completion of the routine immunization schedule for all children, are essential to build strong immunity against the virus.
According to Pakistan's polio program, 10 cases have been confirmed so far this year, with 74 reported in 2024.
Pakistan, one of the last two countries where polio remains endemic, has made significant progress in curbing the virus, with annual cases dropping from around 20,000 in the early 1990s to just eight in 2018.
The country reported six cases in 2023 and only one in 2021.
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