Aseefa says polio eradication possible with vaccination

Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) leader Aseefa Bhutto Zardari said on Monday that polio vaccine was the safest and most effective way to save children from the crippling disease, stressing the need for everyone to work together to rid the country of this virus.

In her message on the occasion of World Polio Day, 2023, she warned that polio had been a threat to the future generations of Pakistan for over two decades and the battle against the disease had been going on for too long.

“We must all come together and save our children from this disease through regular vaccination. We must all work towards a polio-free Pakistan,” Aseefa said in the message. “We need to ensure we eradicate polio, once and for all.”

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Polio is a disease with no cure so far. It can cause paralysis and lifelong disability. Since 1994, the Pakistan Polio Eradication Programme has been fighting the crippling poliovirus with campaigns aimed at administering anti-polio vaccines to the children under the age of five years.

However, the disease has yet to be eliminated from the country. As of last week, 53 positive environmental samples and four cases of polio—three from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (K-P) and one from Sindh – were reported in the country this year.

“It is crucial for us that every child under the age of 5 is given polio drops, and ensure that this disease stops spreading in our country,” Aseefa said. “The back-to-back polio campaigns ensure that our children are protected and remain polio free,” she emphasised.

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The PPP leader praised the efforts of the polio workers engaged in nationwide campaigns, who make every effort to reach each child under five years of age, and immunise them with the two drops of polio vaccine. “I am eternally grateful for their efforts in helping eradicate this debilitating disease.”

She said that in Sindh, the government under the PPP leadership, worked tirelessly towards polio eradication, and their efforts resulted in no polio case being reported in the province for three years. “We must continue with the same effort and have regular [anti-polio] campaigns,” she added.

The PPP leader stressed that childhood immunisation must be “our focus to prevent childhood diseases”. She added: “We understand that communities… that are designated as high-risk for polio need the government to step up service delivery and improve water and sanitation conditions.”