Islamabad, 27 June 2022 (TDI): The Prime Minister of Pakistan, Shehbaz Sharif, has stated his determination to end polio and make the anti-polio campaign successful.
Polio is a deadly virus that threatens not just life but also the future of our children. It is regrettable that we have not fully eliminated it so far. Polio campaign starting today aims to target 25 most vulnerable districts. Let us make it a success& defeat polio, once for all
— Shehbaz Sharif (@CMShehbaz) June 27, 2022
In his tweet, the Prime Minister stated that this five-day effort, which began today, intends to target the 25 most vulnerable regions to the virus.
He grieved that the dangerous virus threatening the children’s future is still present in the country.
Minister of National Health Services, Abdul Qadir Patel’s Statment
The anti-polio campaign intends to immunize 12.6 million adolescents, according to a representative for the Ministry of National Health Services.
Federal Health Minister @A_Qadir_Patel administers polio drops to children at the Federal Government Polyclinic hospital 🏥, Islamabad to inaugurate the sub-national polio immunisation campaign ⬇️
🗓 27 June
👦🏻👧🏻 12.6 million#VaccinesWork #PolioFree🇵🇰 #ForEveryChild #POLIOZERO pic.twitter.com/MJH1nNswQN— Pak Fights Polio (@PakFightsPolio) June 27, 2022
According to a statement issued by Minister of National Health Services Abdul Qadir Patel, twenty-five districts have been put under a list of sensitive areas.
Further, he stated that over 100,000 trained frontline workers would go door-to-door to vaccinate youngsters.
During the campaign, he urged parents to have their children vaccinated. He claims that immunization can protect children from permanent impairment.
Polio, a contagious Virus
Polio is a highly contagious disease that causes children under the age of five to get affected by poliovirus. It infiltrates the nerve system, causing paralysis or even death.
Although there is no cure for polio, immunization is the most effective strategy to prevent children from the disease.
In addition, to improve children’s immunity, each child under the age of five gets the immunization vaccines for polio.
Except for Pakistan and Afghanistan, repeated immunizations have protected millions of children from polio. They have also allowed practically all countries in the world to become polio-free.
The National Emergency Action Plan (NEAP) is an annual document that details the program’s eradication strategy.
The program is also implementing the National Emergency Action Plan (NEAP) for Polio Eradication 2020.
According to the NEAP 2020, the program aims to eradicate the wild poliovirus type 1 (WPV1) and vaccine-derived poliovirus type 2 (VDPV2) from Pakistan.
