Islamabad
The Islamic Advisory Group for Polio Eradication (IAG) on Tuesday hailed the commitment of Pakistan in fight against polio and assured its full support for complete elimination of this crippling disease from the country. The IAG in its 7th annual meeting held at OIC Secretariat at Jeddah, called upon religious leaders and influential community leaders in Pakistan and Afghanistan to fully support ongoing polio eradication efforts and mobilize parents and caregivers to regularly vaccinate their children against polio and other vaccine-preventable diseases.
Held virtually this year, the IAG organized by the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), discussed the persistence of polio virus transmission and protecting children from the crippling disease of polio, says a fax message received here from Jeddah. Addressing the meeting, Coordinator of the National Emergency Operations Centre, Polio Eradication Initiative (PEI), Dr Rana Muhammad Safdar said that Pakistan was successfully running its anti-polio drives to protect children from the disease.
He said “The government is committed to make Pakistan Polio-free. We are determined to close the immunity gap in children which had unfortunately widened because of disruption of essential services due to COVID-19 pandemic.” Dr. Rana Muhammad Safdar said, “Ensuring timely and repeated vaccination of children is critical for us to reduce the immunity gap.—INP
