Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Sunday inaugurated a three-day nationwide polio campaign to tackle the spread of the crippling disease in the country.
The drive was launched at a brief ceremony in Islamabad, where he administered polio drops to children.
Addressing the ceremony, the prime minister said that a nationwide drive was being started to thwart the resurfacing of the polio cases, state-run Associated Press of Pakistan news agency reported.
He expressed confidence that the collective efforts of the federal and provincial governments would control the disease.
“I have the conviction that all the provincial governments, along with the federal government, will continue collaborating to eradicate the disease forever,” he said.
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He observed that Pakistan was unfortunately among the few countries where polio cases had resurfaced, adding that a few years back, during the government of Nawaz Sharif, his elder brother, these cases had been eradicated.
He said that about 20 cases of polio were reported from Waziristan, but due to consistent efforts, these were restricted and controlled and did not spread to other parts of the country.
The prime minister said that floods in the summer season had disrupted the national drive, but despite all the difficulties, the polio workers carried out the onus with their hard work and commitment.
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He also lauded the frontline workers and law enforcement agencies personnel who had laid down their lives to achieve the objective and said that the sacrifices would always be remembered.
Resurfacing of the polio cases had raised concerns among partners, including Bill Gates Foundation, World Health Organisation (WHO) and other stakeholders, he added.
Sharif said that during a telephonic conversation, Bill Gates had expressed his commitment to support the government’s efforts to eliminate the disease.
He also expressed his gratitude to the World Health Organisation, stakeholders, related departments, law enforcement personnel and the daughters of the nation for their continuing efforts and commitments.
During the drive, over 40 million children below five years of age will be inoculated across the country, while children in the age group of six to 59 months will be vaccinated with Vitamin A, the aim of which is to improve the immunity of children.
-With PTI Input
