Federal Minister for National Health Services Abdul Qadir Patel has said that Pakistan is adopting effective measures under a coordinated strategy to completely eradicate polio from its soil.
Addressing the World Health Summit in Berlin, he said the Government of Pakistan was determined to eliminate the polio virus from the country. He said over 27 polio workers had lost their lives during polio immunization drives in Pakistan. He appreciated the role of Pakistan Army and other security forces for ensuring security to the polio workers. The minister said despite the recent floods that badly affected the country’s health system, the government was determined to complete the task of polio eradication from the country and protecting children from the crippling disease. He apprised that the Al-Azhar University had decreed that vaccination against the deadly polio disease was a religious and humanitarian duty. “Pakistan has made incredible progress against polio, but recent challenges have allowed the virus to persist,” said Dr Zulfi Bhutta, Chair of Child Global Health, Hospital for Sick Children, Canada, and Professor Aga Khan University, Pakistan. “Polio, like any virus, knows no borders; its continued transmission threatens children everywhere. Stopping this disease is not just urgently needed now, it’s within our grasp.” He said, “ With strong financial and political commitments, our long-awaited vision of a polio-free world can become a reality.”More than 3,000 scientists and health experts from 115 countries urged the world to fully fund eradication strategy following resurgence of the disease. Global leaders confirmed $2.6 billion in funding toward the Global Polio Eradication Initiative’s (GPEI) 2022-2026 Strategy to end polio at a pledging moment co-hosted by Germany’s Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) at the World Health Summit in Berlin. The funding would support global efforts to overcome the final hurdles to polio eradication, vaccinate 370 million children annually over the next five years and continue disease surveillance across 50 countries. “No place is safe until polio has been eradicated everywhere. As long as the virus still exists somewhere in the world, it can spread – including in our own country. We now have a realistic chance to eradicate polio completely, and we want to jointly seize that chance,” said Svenja Schulze, Federal Minister for Economic Cooperation and Development, Germany.
“Germany will remain a strong and committed partner in the global fight against polio. This year, it is providing EUR 35 million for this cause.” “Next year we plan to further strengthen our efforts and support GPEI with EUR 37 million – pending parliamentary approval. By supporting the GPEI, we are also strengthening national health systems. That leads to healthier societies, far beyond the polio response.” completely eradicate polio, “The new detections of polio this year in previously polio-free countries are a stark reminder that if we do not deliver our goal of ending polio everywhere, it may resurge globally,” said Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO Director-General. eradicate polio, “We are grateful for donors’ new and continued support for eradication, but there is further work to do to fully fund the 2022-2026 Strategy. We must remember the significant challenges we have overcome to get this far against polio, stay the course and finish the job once and for all.” At a challenging time for countries around the world, governments and partners have stepped forward to demonstrate their collective resolve to eradicate the second human disease ever. In addition to existing pledges, new commitments to the 2022-2026 Strategy this fall included Australia pledged AU$ 43.55 million, France pledged EUR 50 million, Germany pledged EUR 72 million, Japan pledged US$ 11 million Republic of Korea pledged KRW 4.5 billion, Luxembourg pledged EUR 1.7 million, Malta pledged EUR 30 000, Monaco pledged EUR 450 000, Spain pledged EUR 100 000, Turkey pledged US$ 20 000, United States pledged US$ 114 million, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation pledged US$S 1.2 billion, Bloomberg Philanthropies pledged US$ 50 million, Islamic Food and Nutrition Council of America pledged US$ 1.8 million, Latter-day Saint Charities pledged US$ 400 000, Rotary International pledged US$ 150 million and UNICEF pledged US$ 5 million.
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