Prime Minister Imran Khan on Wednesday reaffirmed his government’s commitment to end all forms of polio in Pakistan.

In a telephonic conversation with the Co-Chair of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation (BMGF), Bill Gates, PM said the country reported only one case of poliovirus this year. He also termed progress against poliovirus as good.

During their talk, both the dignitaries exchanged their views on the ongoing polio eradication campaign in Pakistan, as well as, on its response to the public health difficulties emerging from the coronavirus pandemic.

The premier valued the work of BMGF for the socio-economic welfare of the most deprived people around the world, especially for promoting universal access to health services and battling infectious diseases.

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Prime Minister @ImranKhanPTI spoke with Mr.@BillGates, co-chair of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation (BMGF), on Tuesday, to discuss polio eradication efforts and the Foundation’s support towards improving nutrition as well as financial services in Pakistan. 🇵🇰 pic.twitter.com/TUE69x479f

— Prime Minister's Office, Pakistan (@PakPMO) October 6, 2021

He expressed gratitude, in particular, for the BMGF’s partnership with Pakistan to eradicate the country of polio.
PM Khan reaffirmed that polio eradication remained a pivotal priority for his government, and earnest efforts were advancing to further enhance the anti-polio drive across Pakistan, despite the challenges imposed by the pandemic crisis, to achieve a polio-free Pakistan.

Praising progress towards polio eradication, Gates pledged his continued support to Pakistan’s polio program for ensuring that no child in the country was at risk of paralysis due to the poliovirus.

Polio in Pakistan 

Pakistan is one of just two countries in the world with Afghanistan that have endemic polio, a once-common childhood virus that can cause paralysis or death.

While it has virtually eliminated, polio remains a threat to global health because as long as a single child remains infected, the virus can easily be spread into polio-free countries and unimmunised populations.

There is no known cure but the disease can be prevented if children are given multiple treatments with the polio vaccine, according to the World Health Organization (WHO).