PM Shahbaz Sharif says campaign in Mehsud belt critical to curtail outbreak

ISLAMABAD, DECEMBER 13 - Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif and Bill Gates, Co-chair of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, discussed major priorities for polio eradication efforts in 2023 during a telephone call late on Tuesday.

The Prime Minister expressed his concern on the disruptions in polio campaigns in South Waziristan’s Mehsud belt and said he will direct the Federal Health Minister and Health Secretary to look into the matter and ensure that all children under the age of five in the area are reached with the polio vaccine.

Twenty children have been paralyzed by wild polio in Pakistan this year, all of them in southern Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa that remains polio endemic.

“I am very encouraged with the pause in polio cases since September, and hopeful that this is a halt,” the Prime Minister said, adding that the detection of a positive virus sample in the environment in DI Khan is a reminder that this pause is to be seen with caution.

The PM said it was a major achievement of the programme that despite positive environmental samples in 13 districts of the country this year, robust emergency responses managed to prevent the virus from circulating outside of the six districts of southern KP. “This shows the strength of the programme to urgently respond to any outbreak – and this strength will be critical in DI Khan in particular and for the next six months in general.”

Bill Gates reaffirmed his commitment and support to Pakistan and expressed appreciation for the Prime Minister’s direct oversight and for prioritizing polio despite the challenging circumstances in wake of the climate catastrophe in Pakistan.

 Note for the Editor:

Polio is a highly infectious disease caused by poliovirus mainly affecting children under the age of five years. It invades the nervous system and can cause paralysis or even death. While there is no cure for polio, vaccination is the most effective way to protect children from this crippling disease. Each time a child under the age of five is vaccinated, their protection against the virus is increased. Repeated immunisations have protected millions of children from polio, allowing almost all countries in the world to become polio-free, besides the two endemic countries of Pakistan and Afghanistan.

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