Staff Report
ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif, during a phone call with the Co-Chair of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation (BMGF) Bill Gates, on Tuesday, reiterated the government’s commitment to eliminate all forms of poliovirus from Pakistan.
While expressing concern over the recently reported polio cases in 2022, after a year without any detection, the premier noted that there had been a pause in new cases since September 2022.
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In light of the recent floods, which had adversely affected the ongoing polio vaccination drives amid large-scale displacements and destruction of healthcare infrastructure, PM Shehbaz reaffirmed that the government was actively working on the special emergency response plan and would keep on adapting and finding ways of reaching out to children in these challenging times.
Meanwhile, Gates deeply regretted the loss of lives in the recent floods in Pakistan. He acknowledged the government’s efforts to eradicate the virus and reiterated BMGF’s continued support to Pakistan in the fight against polio.
Sharif and Gates agreed to continue working together on the shared objectives and in the areas of mutual cooperation. The two also discussed the ongoing public health and social sector programs supported by BMGF in Pakistan.
Pakistan, Afghanistan only countries where wild poliovirus remains endemic
Polio is a highly contagious disease caused by a virus that enters the central nervous system and attacks the spinal cord and brain cells. The illness can be fatal, and those who survive are often left paralyzed or with atrophied and twisted limbs.
The virus most often hits children under the age of five but can affect anyone who is not vaccinated. Pakistan and Afghanistan remain the only countries with an uninterrupted transmission of wild poliovirus, though Malawi and Mozambique also detected imported wild polio cases in 2022.
