France renews anti-polio support for Pakistan

Islamabad : France has renewed its commitment to helping Pakistan eradicate polio and strengthen its healthcare system.

The French Development Agency, a public financial institution, is supporting the government of Pakistan, alongside the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, in its ambitious goal to eradicate polio by 2026, according to the Embassy of France here.

"With a combined $55 million funding, the Fight Against Polio & Health System Strengthening programme will enhance vaccination efforts, fortify the healthcare system, and ensure long-term resilience against the disease across the country," the embassy said in a message. In March last year, the French Development Agency pledged its support for Pakistan’s Polio Eradication Initiative, focusing on immunisation efforts, disease surveillance, monitoring of polio campaigns, and various technical aspects, as well as addressing the $55 million funding shortfall required for the polio eradication programme for the 2022-2026 period.

Pakistani authorities on Monday launched childhood vaccination campaign across the country amid a surge in polio cases, whose tally has reached 41 this year. Most

of those cases were reported in Balochistan and Sindh provinces, followed by

Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa and Punjab provinces.