Aseefa says making Pakistan a polio free has become her mission

KARACHI: Rotary Ambassador for Polio Aseefa Bhutto Zardari celebrated World Polio Day at the Emergency Operation Centre for Polio and inoculated children with two drops of the polio vaccine and met the people responsible for managing the polio programme in Sindh.

EOC coordinator Fayaz Jatoi and Technical Focal Person EOC Sindh Dr. Ahmad Ali Shaikh welcomed her to the polio cell.

During the ceremony Aseefa gave presents to children and conversed with their families. Following this there was a cake cutting ceremony to mark world polio day and after cutting the cake she appreciated the efforts made by the Sindh Polio team in the eradication of the virus.

“Pakistan has come a long way in polio eradication, from 306 cases in 2014 to 6 cases this year, this shows vaccines work and that we are close to eradicating polio from this country," she said.

"I appeal to all parents to vaccinate their children with two drops of the polio vaccine every time they are offered," she added.

After the ceremony Aseefa Bhutto Zardari tweeted "On #WorldPolioDay we recommit ourselves to the eradication of polio in Pakistan. We must protect every child from this crippling disease. It was the dream of my mother Shaheed Mohtarma #Benazir Bhutto to see a polio free Pakistan and it has become my mission to make her dream a reality."

World Polio Day is celebrated on the 24th of October every year and is an opportunity to raise awareness around vaccination.

Pakistan and Afghanistan are the last two countries in the world which are still polio endemic but great progress has been made with historically low cases in Pakistan in 2017.

This shows that the country is taking concrete efforts to eradicate polio and the day is not far when we will have a polio free world.