WHO appreciates Pakistan's polio eradication efforts

ISLAMABAD – World Health Organization representative has hailed Pakistan’s efforts towards eradicating polio in the country.

Reports in local media said WHO representative Dr. Palitha Mahipala commended Pakistani efforts to eradicate the crippling disease.

Speaking with local media outlets at the four-day polio drive at Cantonment General Hospital (CGH), he mentioned that not a single polio case has been reported in the South Asian country during last year as effective measures had been taken to eradicate the virus.

WHO representative also acknowledged the role of the front-line polio workers as he requested parents to get their children vaccinated against the virus that causes disabilities in children.

With the help of team efforts and the positive response of the people, Pakistan would soon become a polio-free country, he added.

In the country’s second-most populous city, over 22 million children will be inoculated in a five-day polio drive beginning from February 28.

Nearly 150,000 polio workers will participate in the campaign while the provincial administration has deployed experts from all areas to facilitate the implementation of campaign activities by local teams in priority areas.

Last month, Pakistan marks a milestone in its battle to eradicate the poliovirus with no new cases reported in the past year.

Pakistan marks one year polio-free milestone

Experts suggest that a country must be polio-free for three consecutive years — but even one year is a long time in a country where vaccination teams are in the crosshairs of insurgency.

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