Islamabad, December 2, 2021 – At the conclusion of the Polio Oversight Board’s (POB) recent visit to Pakistan, the mission stated that it was deeply impressed by the Government of Pakistan’s commitment to eradicating polio and the progress made by the Polio Eradication Initiative.
The POB is the highest decision-making and oversight body of the Global Polio Eradication Initiative (GPEI). It brings together senior leadership of the six GPEI partner agencies—the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, U.S. Centers for Disease Control, Gavi, Rotary International, UNICEF, and the World Health Organization — along with a representative of the GPEI’s donor community.
The delegation met Prime Minister Imran Khan, discussing the current and future strategy of polio eradication from the country. The POB thanked PM Khan for his leadership and the Government’s continued support for polio eradication, highlighting in particular, the direct engagement of the Prime Minister with district commissioners in high-risk areas.
Pakistan’s laser focus on the core reservoirs and 25 high-risk districts for the polio virus is critical to stopping virus transmission.
Beside the in-kind contribution worth USD 100 million per annum, the Government of Pakistan will be contributing USD 192 million to the Polio Eradication Initiative during the next five years.
“We have benefited enormously from the experience gained during COVID and I’m confident that we will also also give a death blow to the polio virus,” Prime Minister Imran Khan said during the National Task Force meeting, which included representation from all provinces, the Pakistan Army, the Ministry of Health, the POB and leadership of the Polio Eradication Initiative (PEI) and Expanded Programme on Immunization (EPI).
In his final meeting with all representatives of the POB, Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on Health, Dr. Faisal Sultan, said: “I am deeply touched by your concern and have deep gratitude for your care, concern, and financial and intellectual contributions to the children of Pakistan.”
“Polio eradication in Pakistan is at a critical juncture. The visit of the Polio Oversight Board was an excellent opportunity for us to combine and capitalize on our collective strengths towards reaching the end of the last mile for polio eradication,” said NEOC Coordinator Dr. Shahzad Baig.
“In all aspects of eradication efforts from surveillance to the sharp reduction in number of cases, the key word is ‘sustained’. We must work to sustain our gains,” he added.
So far this year, Pakistan has reported only one wild poliovirus case.
The delegation also met Engineer-in-Chief, Lieutenant General Moazzam Ijaz, thanking him for the consistent support of the Pakistan Army in ensuring the safety of frontline polio workers and the key role it played in the current progress to eradication.
The delegation also visited provincial leaders and health teams of Sindh, Punjab and Balochistan and observed the current Measles-Rubella (MR) campaign, one of the largest vaccination campaigns in the world, that vaccinated over 90 million children.
The MR Campaign targeted children between 9 months and 15 years, with those aged up to five years also receiving the polio vaccine. Administering these vaccines in one campaign round represents an important step in creating synergies between the PEI and EPI programmes to reach more children with more vaccines.
The two cases of wild poliovirus recently detected in Afghanistan are a stark reminder that the virus cannot be underestimated.
The virus was genetically traced to Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, further reinforcing that the two countries are interdependent in their fight against polio.
Acknowledging that the last mile is the hardest, Dr. Baig said: ‘”We cannot afford to lose our hard-won gains. The programme is redoubling our efforts to beat out the virus and ensure a polio-free Pakistan and I am deeply thankful to the POB for their continued support and dedication.”
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.
Pakistan is one of the two polio-endemic countries in the world along with its neighbour Afghanistan.
For further information, please contact:
Mr. Zulfiqar Babakhel, Media Manager, NEOC, 0345-9165937
Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.