RIYADH: The health ministers of Pakistan and Afghanistan on Wednesday reaffirmed their countries’ commitment to continuing joint efforts to eradicate polio, during a meeting hosted by Saudi Arabia.
The bilateral meeting was held between Pakistan’s Health Minister Mustafa Kamal and Afghanistan’s Interim Minister of Health Mawlawi Noor Jalal Jalali at the invitation of Saudi Minister of Health Fahad AlJalajel, the Saudi Press Agency (SPA) reported on Wednesday.
During a joint meeting held on the sidelines of the Global Health Exhibition 2025, participants discussed ways to intensify efforts to eradicate polio in the most affected regions.
The meeting highlighted the importance of continued cooperation between the two countries in promoting public health and tackling challenges hindering the polio eradication campaign.
The Pakistani and Afghan ministers expressed their appreciation to the Kingdom for hosting the meeting and reaffirmed their nations’ commitment to sustaining joint efforts toward polio eradication.
They also stressed the need to enhance coordination for upcoming vaccination campaigns and to strengthen public awareness initiatives aimed at increasing immunisation rates in high-risk areas.
Polio is a highly contagious and incurable disease that can cause lifelong paralysis. The only effective protection is through repeated doses of the oral polio vaccine for all children under five during every campaign, along with the timely completion of routine immunisations.
Pakistan and Afghanistan remain the only two countries in the world where polio is still endemic. Pakistan recorded 74 cases in 2024 — a sharp increase compared to six in 2023 and just one in 2021.
