IsDB pledges support to polio programme till end

Islamabad: The Islamic Development Bank (IsDB) Tuesday reaffirmed its commitment to the polio eradication programme of Pakistan by promising to support the programme till the very end.

The pledge was voiced by a delegation of IsDB that visited the National Emergency Operation Centre (NEOC). The delegation was led by senior health specialist of the bank from Jeddah Dr. Sadik Mohammad Teyeb, and Country Representative of the bank in Pakistan Inamullah Khan. The Focal Person for Polio Eradication Senator Ayesha Raza Farooq was also present on the occasion.

Praising the contributions of IsDB towards polio eradication, Ayesha Farooq stated that “Having reached so close to eradication, we cannot afford to let our guards down and will make sure that every child across the country is administered two polio drops in every campaign.” She said, Pakistan acknowledges the critical support of IsDB for the noble cause of polio eradication at all national and international forums, and urged parents and communities to ensure vaccination of their children in routine as well as during campaigns.

Dr. Rana Muhammad Safdar, National Coordinator of EOC, gave a detailed briefing on the current polio situation and the way the country programme is tackling the remaining challenges. Quetta block is currently the hottest spot in Pakistan as part of the southern corridor closely linked with Kandhar and Hilmand provinces in Afghanistan, reporting 4 cases in 2017.

Dr. Rana informed the delegation that besides maintaining highest immunity levels, the Pakistan and Afghanistan programmes are closely coordinating for high quality synchronized immunization activities for bordering populations. He also shared recent programme initiatives to further strengthen surveillance and routine immunization as well as consistently reach high-risk mobile populations. “We are efficiently monitoring the presence of poliovirus in sewerage samples from 53 strategically selected sites spread across the country,” he added.

 “We are pleased by Pakistan’s progress towards the goal of virus interruption and find an opportunity to use the country’s experience with other Islamic countries for the benefit of similar public health service delivery initiatives,” Dr. Sadik stated. He also reaffirmed IsDB continuous support to Pakistan polio programme all the way through.

The current epidemiology in the country is quite promising with only 3 polio cases reported in 2017 compared to 14 reported by August 7 in 2016. Most significant is the progress made in the core reservoirs of Karachi and Khyber-Peshawar, which have not reported any polio case since January and February 2016 respectively, whereas in Quetta block, 1 polio case has been reported in 2017 from Killa Abdullah.