ISLAMABAD – Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has formally launched the first anti-polio drive of the year to eradicate the poliovirus from the country.
A ceremony to this effect was held in Islamabad on Sunday, where he administered polio drops to the children.
Addressing the launching ceremony, the prime minister expressed the determination to eradicate polio from Pakistan. He said millions of children will be vaccinated in the length and breadth of the country during this campaign.
Shehbaz Sharif said Islamabad, through international partners, also has close coordination with Kabul and hopefully poliovirus will be eliminated from neighbouring Afghanistan as well through mutual support.
The prime minister appreciated and thanked international partners, including WHO, UNICEF, and Saudi Arabia for their generous support in fighting fatal diseases.
Earlier, speaking on the occasion, Prime Minister’s Focal Person on Polio Eradication, Ayesha Raza Farooq said over four hundred thousand polio workers, including two hundred and twenty-five thousand women vaccinators, will go door to door to vaccinate children below five years of age in Pakistan.
She said the polio workers will administer polio drops during the seven-day drive starting from Monday.
She appealed the parents to open doors of their houses when polio workers come to vaccinate their children to protect them from polio and other deadly diseases.
