Germany pledges Euros 5m against polio

Islamabad: Germany has announced that it will inject five million Euros into Pakistan's initiatives for the elimination of polio. German ambassador to Pakistan Bernhard Schlagheck made the announcement during a visit to the offices of the Pakistan Polio Eradication Initiative (PPEI) on the premises of the National Institute of Health here.

He said it was great to visit the PPEI offices and see the state-of-the-art control room and storage of vaccines. "The fight against polio is such an important battle for Pakistan. Germany will provide another EUR 5 million to Pakistan to help win this fight," he said.

Representatives of the Pakistan Polio Eradication Initiative briefed the envoy about the country's anti-polio efforts and progress on the children's vaccination against the virus.

National Coordinator for Polio Eradication Dr Rana Muhammad Safdar, who was also present during the visit, thanked the ambassador for keen interest in and encouragement for polio eradication.

He said togetherness was the key to the collective success against polio. Dr Rana Safdar said Pakistan was a committed nation on a sacred mission to ensure a disability-free future for its children and that of the world.