PM Vows to Make Pakistan Polio-Free, Orders Third-Party Audit of Campaign

The government of Pakistan under Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has redoubled its efforts to eradicate polio from the country while stating that everyone needs to get on the same page. In a polio summit held in Islamabad involving the heads of state and health ministers from polio-endemic countries the Prime Minister said that his government will not relent until polio is conquered. At the meeting, certain data on the present day situation in polio cases were discussed. According to the latest available data there are 41 active cases of polio in the country.

Government Acts for Pakistan to be Polio-Free

The Prime Minister has asked top health officers in the country, including Dr. Mukhtar Ahmed Bharath the Coordinator for National Health and Polio Focal Person Ayesha Raza Farooq to offer their direct support to the affected areas of the recent polio campaign. This practical view exemplifies that the government is really keen on grasping the ground realities. Furthermore, Sharif has directed an independent investigation of the anti-polio campaign for the sake of genuine implementation.

The government is particularly interested in creating a rational approach to fulfill the immunity gap in risky regions. This has been made after briefings that showed 25 out of the 41 active cases occurred in areas of low RIU, which reinforces the need for routine immunization in the fight against polio.

The Effects of Vaccination and its Further Perspective in Polio-Free Pakistan

In the meeting and based on the most current information presented it was evident that the level of vaccination correlated directly with the polio epidemic, that is, regions with high vaccination rates were recording very low instances of the spread of the virus. This development has led officials to pay more attention to locality areas that are not fully vaccinated. The strategy includes increasing support to both general immunization newly born and infants immunization with polio and other supplementation services.

During the meeting of senior government officials involved in the Prime minister team and health department official planned and brainstormed on the different strategies for improving the take up of vaccination. The focus is still to cover the population of every child in the country especially in regions where they used to have a hard time getting in touch with a healthcare provider.