PRIME Minister Imran Khan was informed on Wednesday that Pakistan has achieved tremendous success against polio as from eighty four reported cases of Wild Polio Virus cases in the year 2020, the incidence has come down to no case in the last ten months.
This really indicates the consistent efforts made by the authorities concerned in Pakistan to reach this what could be called a milestone.
It will be unfair not to recognize the efforts put in by our polio workers who worked in difficult areas and laid down lives in the line of duty to ensure that each child is vaccinated.
We will also remain indebted to the financial and technical assistance provided by Japan, UN Agencies, Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and others over the years to make Pakistan free of virus which was crippling the lives of our young souls.
However, the job is not over. There is no need to be complacent at all. It is only after completion of thirty six months of zero incidence, the country will get polio free certificate from World Health Organization.
Hence, greater responsibility rests with both the federal and provincial governments to keep up the current momentum and spare no efforts to make the ensuing anti-polio campaigns really successful, ensuring that no child under the age of five years is left out of anti-polio drops.
We are confident that the international partners will also continue to lend their support to Pakistan.
In fact there is an extraordinary opportunity to rid the world of this virus for good as in neighbouring Afghanistan also only one case of polio has been reported in the current year.
It is a matter of great satisfaction that the new Afghan set-up is also showing greater urgency to carry out door to door polio vaccination with the cooperation of the UN agencies.
The success of anti-polio campaign in Afghanistan will mitigate the risk of cross border and international transmission.
Hence, the war-torn country should not be left alone and it should be provided with the necessary assistance to sustain its health infrastructure.
