Polio footprint narrowing, govt tells int'l body
A high-level Pakistani delegation briefed the Independent Monitoring Board (IMB) in Geneva on the country's intensified efforts to eradicate polio, reaffirming its commitment to ending transmission of the virus.
The delegation met the IMB during its July 20-23 session in Geneva, where the global body reviewed worldwide polio eradication efforts, focusing particularly on Pakistan and Afghanistanthe world's only two remaining polio-endemic countries.
Established by the Global Polio Eradication Initiative, the IMB is an impartial assessment and oversight body that evaluates global progress toward polio eradication.
According to the delegation, Pakistan has reduced polio cases by 99.8% since 1994, thanks to advances in medical science and vaccination.
The Pakistani delegation led by Minister of State for Health Dr Malik Mukhtar Ahmad Bharath included several officials, including Prime Minister's Focal Person for Polio Eradication Ayesha Raza Farooq.
Ayesha Raza Farooq informed the IMB the poliovirus footprint is narrowing, but it is now concentrated in the most difficult geographies, particularly southern K-P, where insecurity continues to keep thousands of children beyond the reach of vaccinators.