KARACHI: Ambassador for Polio Eradication Aseefa Bhutto Zardari requested all parents to support the government in its effort toward polio eradication.

On the occasion of World Polio Day 2022, she said the recent polio cases in Pakistan are a threat to future generations and children can be saved from childhood diseases like polio through vaccination.

“We must all come together and work towards polio eradication. We owe to our children. We must collectively work towards making Pakistan Polio Free,” she added.

With 20 new cases reported in Pakistan this year alone, she said the government is being extra vigilant and it is extremely crucial to reach every child under the age of 5 in order to curb the spread of poliovirus in the country.

She said back-to-back monthly polio campaigns are to ensure that children remain Polio free. She said Sindh has not reported a single case of polio since July 2020 and environment samples in major locations are also negative.

“If we continued with the same momentum, we will further see significant results, but we must not get complacent and continue the hard work and have regular vaccination campaigns to ensure our children are protected.

“We must focus on childhood immunisation to prevent childhood diseases; the benefits of vaccination are clear as frequent campaigns can significantly reduced the burden of polio across the country like it has in the past,” she added.

Aseefa said children can be saved from childhood diseases like polio through vaccination and sought the media’s help to raise awareness.

She said Pakistan is one of the two polio-endemic countries in the world along with Afghanistan and has so far reported a total of 20 polio cases in 2022.

She said the polio vaccine is the safest and most effective way to save your children from polio, please cooperate with the teams when they come to your doorstep.