Cricketer Wasim Akram appointed ambassador for polio eradication

Top cricketer Wasim Akram has been appointed the ambassador for polio eradication in Pakistan here on Thursday.

According to the details, a ceremony regarding World Polio Day was held in Islamabad in which Wasim Akram and Coordinator Pakistan Polio Program signed the agreement.

Addressing the ceremony, Prime Minister Assistant on Health Dr. Zafar Mirza said that protecting children from polio is the top priority and that 2 lakh 60 thousand anti-polio workers are the real heroes to overcome polio. Wasim Akram will also play a vital role in polio eradication.

On the occasion, Akram stressed that it is the right of every child to stay protected from the poliovirus.

He also appealed all Pakistani to join the mission of defeating the crippling disease from the country.

It is pertinent to mention that Babar Atta had stepped down on October 18 from the post of Polio Adviser to the United Nations and Polio Focal Person to Prime Minister Imran Khan.

Moreover, International Polio Day is being observed all across the globe including Pakistan here on October 24, Thursday.

The purpose of this day’s celebration is to raise awareness about polio and make efforts to eradicate polio virus from all parts of the world.

In 1988, the World Health Organization and Rotary International launched the Global Polio Eradication Initiative.

Although most countries were declared polio-free by 2013, three countries, including Pakistan, Nigeria and Afghanistan, failed to get rid of the disease, and the struggle continues.

Polio is a fatal illness. In medical terms it is also known as poliomyelitis. The deadly ‘polio virus’ is the disease which usually affects children under the age of 5, which is why it is also known as infantile paralysis.