ISLAMABAD: In a remarkable gesture of brotherhood, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) has helped vaccinate more than 102 million children against polio in Pakistan in the past eight years under the UAE-Pakistan Assistance Programme. It has been announced by the programme on Saturday. According to the announcement, more than 583 million doses of polio vaccine were administered from 2014 to the end of September 2021, as part of the UAE Polio Vaccination campaign.
The announcement came ahead of the World Polio Day being observed throughout the world on Sunday (today). The programme was launched under the directive of UAE President Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan with the support of Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces.
Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed expressed the view that the world has never been closer to eradicating polio since 2011 as Sheikh Mohamed has donated $250 million to humanitarian and charity efforts aimed at providing vaccines and financing polio eradication campaigns.
UAE Minister of Health and Prevention Abdulrahman Al Owais has said the UAE represents "an exemplary role model in polio control and eradication". Ambassador of the UAE for Pakistan Hamad Obaid Al Zaabi has expressed the hope to eradicate the virus completely from the face of the earth and especially in Pakistan through mutual cooperation. The UAE would continue to provide assistance to Pakistan for achieving the goal.