ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Wednesday reaffirmed his government’s commitment to completely eradicate the polio virus from the country.
PM Sharif expressed the views while talking to the President of the Global Development Gates Foundation Dr. Chris Elias in Islamabad, Radio Pakistan reported.
The Prime Minister said the government is implementing a comprehensive strategy and taking practical steps with the support of an effective team.
He expressed deep gratitude for the cooperation of Bill Gates and Saudi Arabia in the fight against polio.
Shehbaz Sharif noted that despite significant progress toward polio eradication, emergency measures remain necessary.
He said the federal government is working in close coordination with the provinces to ensure the smooth access and safety of polio teams across the country under a well-coordinated strategy.
Prime Minister @CMShehbaz has reaffirmed Pakistan's determination to completely eradicate #polio from #Pakistan@PakPMO @PakFightsPolio @ForeignOfficePk #RadioPakistan #News https://t.co/QwWaAvx64F pic.twitter.com/sH9sgw1skN
— Radio Pakistan (@RadioPakistan) January 28, 2026
He added that relevant projects under the Public Sector Development Programme (PSDP) for the polio eradication campaign will continue nationwide.
President of Global Development at the Gates Foundation, Chris Elias, appreciated the Prime Minister’s personal commitment to polio eradication and praised the effective measures taken by the government in this regard.
He acknowledged that Pakistan is taking effective steps toward complete polio eradication, which are progressing towards success.
Polio is a highly infectious and incurable disease that can cause lifelong paralysis.
The only effective protection is through repeated doses of the Oral Polio Vaccine for every child under five during each campaign, alongside timely completion of all routine immunizations.
Pakistan and Afghanistan remain the only two countries in the world where the transmission of wild poliovirus has never been fully stopped.
