Gates said he was confident Pakistan’s polio eradication campaign would get back on track and end the incurable disease.
- Bill Gates praised Pakistan’s ongoing vaccination campaign.
- Prime Minister Shehbaz expressed his gratitude to the Gates Foundation for its valuable support.
- Pakistan is one of two remaining polio-endemic countries in the world.
Despite Pakistan’s fierce efforts to eradicate the paralyzing disease, the country remains plagued by poliovirus outbreaks, leading Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation (BMGF) Co-chair Bill Gates to renew their commitment to eradicate polio from the country.
Polio is a highly contagious disease caused by the poliovirus that primarily affects children under the age of 5. These children are malnourished and have weakened immune systems due to inadequate or no vaccination against polio and other childhood diseases.
The disease attacks the nervous system, causing paralysis and death. There is no cure for polio, but vaccination is the most effective way to protect children from this devastating disease.
Pakistan is one of two remaining polio-endemic countries in the world, along with Afghanistan, and the number of annual cases in the country has declined significantly.
The latest diagnosis was reported in Shikarpur on June 1, bringing the number of polio deaths in Pakistan this year to four.
Meeting with Prime Minister Sharif in Islamabad on Monday, Gates said he was confident that the Pakistani government’s ongoing vaccination campaign and determined efforts, following a recent spike in environmental polio detections, would get the polio eradication effort back on track and put an end to the terrible disease.
He also highlighted the adoption of data science tools and digital technologies in Pakistan as a key resource for continuously improving the lives of citizens across the country.
The visiting dignitaries also thanked the Prime Minister, who received them at his residence, for his continued dedication and personal interest in eradicating wild polio from the country.
Prime Minister Shehbaz welcomed Gates and updated him on the government’s efforts to stabilize the economy, digital financial services, expand health insurance, adapt to climate change, and work to eradicate the polio virus.
He expressed his deep gratitude to the Gates Foundation for its valuable support to the government’s efforts towards the digitalization of the economy.
A statement issued by the Prime Minister’s Office quoted the Prime Minister as saying, “A digitised ecosystem across government will generate increased revenue, help in improved governance and enable the government to allocate more funds for public welfare schemes.”
Shehbaz stressed that the government and the Gates Foundation share many common goals, including closing gender gaps, expanding health coverage, improving food security, adapting to climate change and financial inclusion.
The Prime Minister thanked the Gates Foundation, the largest donor to the polio eradication program, and outlined a strong and focused strategy to counter the threat of rising wild poliovirus infections and the actions needed to overcome the challenge of completely eradicating the disease from Pakistan.
He reiterated his government’s firm commitment that polio eradication remains the government’s top priority and stressed that all national resources will be utilised to ensure the safety of polio eradication activists.
“I will personally monitor the nation’s efforts until this dreaded disease is eradicated from our country,” the prime minister said.
The two sides agreed to continue working together to not only eradicate polio, but also to strengthen health systems in provinces and ensure prosperity for all Pakistanis, especially women and girls.
The visit came in response to an invitation extended by the prime minister during a meeting with Gates in Riyadh on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum.
