Aseefa appreciates headway made in polio eradication in Pakistan

KARACHI: Rotary Ambassador for Polio, Aseefa Bhutto Zardari has appreciated the headway made in polio eradication in Pakistan and congratulated frontline workers for bringing the country closer to polio eradication than ever before.

On the occasion of World Polio Day, she said: “Just under 3 years ago in 2014 Pakistan had reported 306 cases of polio and today in 2017 the number is at an historical low of 5 cases but that is still 5 cases too many! If we continue to work together, we will soon rid our country of this virus.”

The five cases have been reported from all the provinces including one from Sindh.

Aseefa Bhutto Zardari said that on “World Polio Day” we should raise awareness on Polio, which is a crippling and potentially fatal infectious disease.

“There is no cure, but there are safe and effective vaccines that can protect children from polio. No child should suffer from a vaccine-preventable illness!”

The oral polio vaccine when given multiple times, always protects a child from polio for life. The strategy to eradicate polio is based on preventing infection and that is why 250,000 workers go door-to-door during every polio campaign, so they can save children from disability.

Aseefa Bhutto Zardari also appreciated these efforts, saying, “As cases decrease our strategies to tackle polio must multiply, our commitment must be reaffirmed, and our LHW’s must be appreciated and encouraged for all the hard work they are putting into the Polio drive.”

Launched by former prime minister Benazir Bhutto, the Pakistan Polio Programme has come a long way towards building a future in which polio no longer endangers children, families, and communities across the country.

Aseefa Bhutto Zardari further stressed the importance of community engagement initiatives to sensitize parents who refuse vaccines for their children.

In her statement, she thanked Rotary International for working with Pakistani children who have been crippled by polio and performing many corrective surgeries, helping make their lives better.