First child in Pakistan to be vaccinated, Aseefa vows to eradicate polio

Aseefa says despite obstacles she is committed to a polio-free Pakistan

The first child in Pakistan to be administered polio drops by her mother and former prime minister Benazir Bhutto, Aseefa Bhutto Zardari vowed to carry forward the mission, and eradicate the virus from the country.

Aseefa was addressing the Oxford Union in England on Monday, a statement from the Pakistan Peoples Party read.

“As the ambassador for polio, I took it upon myself to work with every level of government and bureaucracy to ensure unwavering commitment to eradicate polio,” she affirmed.


In 2014, Pakistan broke its own 14-year-old record when it crossed 200 polio cases. According to the World Health Organization, the country is at a “tipping point” as the remaining endemic countries in the world—Afghanistan and Nigeria—have seen a significant decline in the number of cases this year.

“Terrorists have deemed polio drops ‘a western, un-Islamic drug’ that is a mass conspiracy to cause in fertility. In the last government and with the support of the international community, we began to make serious headway in tackling this disease and we were getting closer and closer to eradicating it once and for all from Pakistan.”

Aseefa contended that despite obstacles, she along with “countless polio workers currently risking their lives every day” are determined to end the virus from the country.

“I am committed to a polio-free Pakistan. My mother’s passion lives on through me and I will not give up on them – just as she didn’t.”
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