Shehbaz launches special anti-polio campaign

ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif on Sunday launched a special anti-polio campaign to ensure complete eradication of polio from the country.

The prime minister has initiated the polio campaign across 115 districts of the country, during which 30 million children under the age of five will be vaccinated against this debilitating disease.

From September 9 to 15, some 286,000 polio workers will go door-to-door to administer polio drops to the children.

“We are grateful to the partners and friendly international organizations cooperating with the government in the fight against polio,” the prime minister said.

He expressed optimism that the federal government, in collaboration with provincial governments and partners, will succeed in completely eradicating polio from the country.

“Our efforts to eliminate polio from Pakistan will certainly bear fruit, Insha’Allah,” said the prime minister. The prime minister also paid tribute to the efforts of federal and provincial officials, polio workers, and security personnel in the fight against polio.

He urged parents to ensure that their children under five receive the polio vaccine to protect them from lifelong disability. On this occasion, the prime minister personally administered polio drops to children.

The ceremony was attended by the Prime Minister’s Coordinator for Health, Dr. Mukhtar Bharath; the Prime Minister’s Special Representative for Polio Eradication, Ayesha Raza Farooq; representatives from the World Health Organization, UNICEF, the Gates Foundation, and the United Nations; along with other senior officials.