Shehbaz Sharif reaffirmed government’s determination to eliminate disease from Pakistan
With the number of polio cases reaching 63 this year, the federal government has until December 22, 2024 to start the last vaccination in the country’s 143 districts.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif today officially launched the vaccination campaign by giving drops to children at his inauguration ceremony in Islamabad.
Addressing the event, Prime Minister Shehbaz congratulated international partners like Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, World Health Organization (WHO) and Saudi Arabia for helping Pakistan fight polio. He said that the Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia has an important role in eradicating polio in Pakistan.
“I am especially grateful to the government of Saudi Arabia and Prince Mohammed Bin Salman for their contribution to the eradication of polio, not only in Pakistan but also in Afghanistan, and of course I am very grateful for the efforts of the Bill Gates Foundation. WHO to guarantee that we will not accept it,” he said.
At his inauguration, the prime minister said there were concerns about the rise in polio cases, with around 60 new cases, but assured that the country would overcome the challenge with the joint efforts of the federal and provincial governments.
According to the National Emergency Situation Center (NEOC), the provincial distribution of polio cases this year includes 26 in Balochistan, 18 in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, 17 in Sindh, and one each in Punjab and Islamabad.
He urged parents to vaccinate their children against polio.
The Prime Minister thanked the polio workers for their efforts in the immunization campaign and working with law enforcement agencies to ensure that the fight against polio is carried out safely.
Aisha Raza Farooq, Prime Minister’s Polio Eradication Focal Point, said around 400,000 polio workers in 143 districts of the country will visit every household to inoculate children under the age of five.
He asked his parents to open their doors and fully cooperate with the polio team in this campaign.
He said that the prime minister’s continued participation in the anti-polio effort was proof of his commitment to safeguarding the health of Pakistan’s children.
He assured that the campaign will leave no stone unturned in his efforts to ensure that every child is vaccinated against the disease.
The Prime Minister’s focus letter earlier this morning outlined the goal of ensuring access to a free, completely safe and effective polio vaccine for all children under the age of five.
He also stressed the importance of complete immunization to protect against other deadly diseases including polio.
Farooq also paid tribute to the polio workers who served the society under difficult conditions in the fight against the disease.
Dr Mukhtar Bharath, the Prime Minister’s Coordinator for National Health Services, said that nearly 44 million children in Pakistan will lose their lives to eradicate polio by the end of the year.
The highly contagious viral disease mainly affects children under the age of five, especially those with weakened immune systems or those who have not been vaccinated.
With more than 60% of polio-infected children receiving routine immunization by 2024, health authorities have established a high-level committee to improve coordination between the Polio Eradication Initiative (PEI) and the Expanded Program on Immunization (EPI).
The committee, led by the Prime Minister’s Health Services Coordinator Dr. Malik Mukhtar Ahmed Barath, including the provincial health director and representatives from international organizations such as WHO, UNICEF, CDC and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.
The main objective is to overcome challenges in high-risk areas and increase immunization coverage throughout the country.
