ISLAMABAD:
Health Minister Mustafa Kamal announced that the government will launch a nationwide anti-polio campaign on May 26, aiming to immunise more than 45 million children under the age of five.
Last month, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif launched a seven-day national campaign aimed at vaccinating millions of children under the age of five. He reaffirmed the government’s commitment to eradicating polio from the country.
Speaking after a meeting with president of Global Development at the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Dr Chris Elias, on Sunday, Kamal reaffirmed the government’s determination to eradicate polio under the leadership of PM Shehbaz.
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“The Prime Minister is personally monitoring the performance of the programme and holds regular meetings to ensure its success,” Kamal said. “Federal and provincial governments, along with law enforcement agencies, are united in this mission.”
Mustafa Kamal praised the Gates Foundation’s continued support and said security forces had made “immense sacrifices” in the campaign against polio. “Our struggle has come with sacrifices, but the mission will continue until polio is completely eradicated,” he added.
The minister noted that the upcoming campaign will run in coordination with Afghanistan, continuing joint efforts between the two neighbouring countries. He said previous campaigns in February and April had been completed successfully, and resistance to vaccination was declining.
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“Due to high-quality campaigns and community engagement, the number of parents refusing vaccines has dropped significantly,” Kamal said. “We are committed to eliminating polio by the end of this year.” Dr Elias praised Pakistan’s anti-polio efforts and expressed optimism that the country could meet its eradication target by 2025.
Unfortunately, Pakistan remains among the countries still battling polio and continues to take measures to eradicate the disease. So far this year, the country has reported eight cases, despite ongoing nationwide vaccination campaigns.
Last year, Pakistan reported 74 confirmed polio cases — 27 from Balochistan, 22 from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (K-P), 23 from Sindh, and one each from Punjab and Islamabad.
