Deoghar, Jan. 10: Health awareness has become hostage to superstition.

At least this is true in case of tribals of Santhal Parganas who would rather be crippled than take polio drops because of the superstition that the vaccine makes one impotent. MCC rebels, on the other hand, will die for a cause, but would not like to be crippled by polio. No wonder the polio campaign is a success in several extremist-dominated areas.

The pulse polio campaign in Santhal Parganas has been marked by poor turnout of children, as parents believed the rumour that the vaccine would make their offspring impotent.

However, in neighbouring Bihar, health officials are getting help from the most unlikely quarters. Naxalite groups like the People’s War and the MCC, who are active in the border districts of Jamui and Banka, have joined hands with health workers to generate awareness about immunisation of children against polio.

But the story in Santhal Paraganas is different. Five health workers in Madhurpur subdivision were assaulted when they went to Durgapur to administer polio drops. Sources said trouble began when a worker tried to give polio drops to a villager’s son. The villagers allegedly beat up the worker. The workers were kept hostage for over five hours and were released after block officials intervened.

“We know the conspiracy of the government… in the garb of pulse polio campaign it is trying to enforce birth control measures. It is trying to make the future generation impotent,” said Mohammed Yunush, a villager. He said the maulavis had directed the villagers not to take their offspring to the polio camps.

A senior official of Madhupur police station, however, said: “We are yet to get a written complain regarding the incident. How can we initiate action against villagers who are blinded by superstition. What the villagers require is education, not policing.”

A civil surgeon from Deoghar said: “Superstition is so deeply entrenched in their minds that it is hard to make them realise that polio drops are mandatory for their children. In the present situation, making this campaign a success would be a Herculean task.”

“We need more Naxalite groups like the ones in the border districts of Bihar,” said Binoy Kumar, member of an underground organisation in Madhupur.

A Bhagalpur-based NGO, Arnav, has expressed concern over the rise in polio cases in Santhal Parganas. The NGO recently held several awareness camps on the pulse polio drive for the media in collaboration with World Health Organisation (WHO) in different districts of Jharkhand, including Santhal Parganas. The WHO is helping the government in the campaign.

“Health workers and NGOs should launch door-to-door pulse polio campaign for vaccination of children and generate awareness,” said Arpana Singh of Arnav. She said Arnav would start special awareness programmes in the region.