Like other parts of the globe, "World Polio Day 2013" will also be observed in Pakistan on Thursday (tomorrow) with a resolve to continue efforts for complete eradication of polio from the world. In 2012, transmission of poliovirus continued in three countries (Nigeria, Afghanistan, and Pakistan).
It may be noted that the World Polio Day was established by Rotary International over a decade ago to commemorate the birth of Jonas Salk, who led the first team to develop a vaccine against poliomyelitis. Use of this inactivated poliovirus vaccine and subsequent widespread use of the oral poliovirus, developed by Albert Sabin, led to the establishment of the Global Polio Eradication Initiative (GPEI) in 1988. Since then, GPEI has reduced polio world-wide by 99 percent.
Health professionals said that polio had no cure, so vaccination was the best way to protect against it. To highlight the importance of the day, Directorate General Health Services (DGHS) Punjab in collaboration with Unicef will arrange a photography and painting exhibition at Nairang Art Gallery, Lahore on Thursday.
Work of freelance photographer like Fawad Rizvi will also be showcased. Students of NCA, Lahore College for Women University and Home Economics College will also showcase their paintings at the event. A spokesperson of DGHS said it was a great opportunity for people from all walks of life to know about polio and routine immunisation through artwork. DGHS has invited people to participate in the inaugural session as their participation will be of high value in indicating a strong commitment and ownership of the government regarding polio awareness campaigns. It may be noted that the polio vaccination teams in Pakistan targeted 33.4 million children and there was a 65 percent decrease in the polio cases in comparison to last year.
Comments
Comments are closed.