Polio free Pakistan : ‘We must continue to wage war against polio’

Aseefa Bhutto Zardari stresses the need to aggressively combat the disease

SUKKUR: Two drops of anti-polio vaccine must be given every time to every child, as this is the only way to realise the dream of Shaheed Benazir Bhutto for a polio-free Pakistan, said Pakistan's polio ambassador Aseefa Bhutto Zardari.

She was addressing lady health workers at the Institute of Business Administration Sukkur on Monday. "It gives me pleasure to appreciate the work of our frontline workers in our fight against polio," she said. "I am sure that the time is not far when no child will suffer from polio in Pakistan," she added, saying that this is the fight we must win and need to win sooner rather than later.

"I am thankful to everyone who is working for a polio-free Pakistan, as we have come a long way to end polio in the country," said Zardari. She said that in 2007, 307 cases of polio were registered throughout the country and, due to the untiring struggle of all the stakeholders, this year the number has been reduced to 49 cases. This is a rapid decline though more is still needed, as Pakistan is one of the two countries in the world where children are still falling prey to this disease, she explained.



"We must wage a war against this disease, as our children are our future and we have to save our future from this crippling disease and I am sure we will achieve this goal," she commented. Paying special tribute to the vaccinators, Aseefa said they have to visit door to door to discharge their duties and that she knows this is not an easy job, as they have had to make sacrifices. "We all have to do our job in spreading the message against polio from door to door," she claimed.

Rotary International representative and chairperson of the national polio plus committee, Aziz Memon lauded the efforts of the lady health workers. "Rotary had started an anti-polio drive in Pakistan in 1985 and was optimistic that since it had succeeded in eliminating polio from throughout the world, it would be able to eliminate it from Pakistan, as well," he said.

Published in The Express Tribune, December 8^th,  2015.