ISLAMABAD, Pakistan: The government has set a target to make Pakistan polio free by 2016 by reaching out to every child for administering the vaccine to protect from the crippling disease.
According to an official here, Pakistan made remarkable progress in 2015, decreasing polio cases by 85 percent as compared to the previous year due to an effective strategy of Prime Minister’s Focal Person for polio eradication Senator Ayesha Raza Farooq.
The government has successfully taken along civil society and religious scholars to mitigate negative impressions about polio campaigns.
The polio eradication programme was being led by a dedicated network of emergency operation centres (EOCs) at both national and provincial levels.
International health organizations and countries have also contributed to the effort.
The Canadian government, being the largest contributor to the Global Polio Eradication Initiative (GPEI), has been at the forefront in the fight against the disease.
The country has contributed $402.06 million from 1995 to 2014 to eradicate polio worldwide. Canada supports the goal of eliminating polio from the world by 2018.
It was also the first country to assist Pakistan in tackling the conditions that allow polio to continue.
In January 2014, it pledged $20 million for the polio plus initiative by increasing coverage, access and effectiveness of the vaccines.
Source: APP
