Japanese MPs get firsthand report on Pakistan’s polio eradication efforts

Islamabad
A group of the Diet Task Force on Global Polio Eradication from the Japanese Parliament called on Prime Minister’s Focal Person on Polio Eradication Senator Ayesha Raza Farooq here on Tuesday to obtain firsthand information on Pakistan’s polio eradication efforts.
The high-powered delegation was apprised of recent steps taken by the government to curb poliovirus circulation. During the interaction, Ayesha shared some of the positive developments that have brought an overall paradigm shift in the programme.
“We are focusing on continuously missed children in each campaign”, Ayesha said, while briefing the delegates on the feedback received by the Independent Monitoring Board.
Japan is a longstanding partner of Pakistan in its efforts to eradicate polio. The country has been providing funding for the last 19 years for procurement of vaccine, establishment of cold chain and promotion of social awareness. Japan’s financial assistance has amounted to over 16 billion yen in total. Ayesha expressed gratitude to the government of Japan for extending generous support to Pakistan in the efforts for polio eradication.
“There has been an overall drop of 85 percent in cases this year, with the geographic distribution of cases also becoming more limited. Additionally, we have witnessed the proportion of positive environmental samples fall from 34 percent to 19 percent, and a 50 percent reduction in genetic clusters from 16 to eight,” Ayesha stated.
Following the meeting, the delegation visited the National Emergency Operation Centre and interacted with the national team and development partners. Dr. Rana Muhammad Safdar apprised the delegates of the current strategies to deal with poliovirus.
Colonel Amanat, representative of the GHQ, highlighted the contributions of the Pakistan Army and reiterated the support of the army as an institution in the efforts to knock out poliovirus from Pakistan.
Representatives of development partners, including Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, Unicef, WHO and Rotary, also shared their respective roles in Pakistan’s Polio Eradication Initiative.