The USD 5.4 million (562 million Japanese yen) worth grant will contribute for supporting Unicef's commitment towards polio eradication efforts during the period December 2014 to November 2015.
Japan's donation will make it possible for Unicef to procure 15 million doses of the Oral Polio Vaccine (OPV) for mop up campaigns, 1.3 million doses of the Inactivated Polio Vaccine (IPV) for children in high risk areas of the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) and Karachi, 100 solar ice-lined refrigerators (ILRs) for districts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) and FATA, backup generators and temperature monitoring systems for strengthening the cold chain at KP, Balochistan and FATA vaccine stores. The grant will also strengthen the vaccine management through provision of cold chain and logistic personnel at Federal, FATA and four provinces.
Hiroshi Inomata, Ambassador of Japan to Pakistan on Monday reaffirmed Japan's commitment to help Pakistan to get rid of this preventable disease. He recalled that the Government of Japan has supported the polio eradication initiative in Pakistan since 1996. Japan's assistance amounts to approximately USD 149 million (JPY 15.5 billion, Rs 15.2 billion).
Given a large increase in the number of polio cases this year, Ambassador Inomata called on the Government of Pakistan and its partners to redouble their efforts to address the existing complex challenge in the fight against polio. He welcomed the commitment of the Government of Pakistan shown in the National Task Force meeting chaired by Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif on November 5. He reiterated Japan's commitment to working together until the day of its complete eradication.
Mitsuyoshi Kawasaki, Chief Representative of Japan International Co-operation Agency (Jica) Pakistan, emphasised urgent needs of fully organized service delivery system of immunisation programme. "This grant addresses urgent needs of current polio situation in Pakistan and will enable children to acquire rapid immunisation among children influx from FATA who have had zero dose since June 2012 and children who hardly get immunity with OPV. Provision of ILRs and human resource for vaccine management will contribute to make immunisation activities further effective. We are hopeful that this grant will serve as a drive for the final phase of Pakistan's fight against polio virus."
Angela Kearney, Unicef Representative in Pakistan added, "This latest contribution by the Government of Japan comes at a critical time when the number of children paralysed by polio and the risk of transmission to other countries is the highest in a decade."
Pakistan is at cross roads on polio eradication. The number of polio cases has been on the rise, and concerted efforts are necessary to reverse this trend and achieve the goal of a world free of polio. Eradicating polio will not only benefit children in Pakistan, but will ensure that no child, anywhere, will ever suffer from the disease again.-PR
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