PESHAWAR: Chief Secretary Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Nadeem Aslam Chaudhry, presided over a critical meeting on polio eradication in the province on Saturday.

The meeting was attended by Commissioners of D.I. Khan, Kohat, and Peshawar Divisions, the Director General of Health, and provincial and federal officials working on polio eradication.

Representatives from international organizations, including Deputy Director Polio Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, representatives of UNICEF, and the WHO, also participated in the meeting.

The meeting aimed to evaluate strategies and measures to combat polio in light of the recent cases reported in the province. Health officials provided a comprehensive briefing on the current situation, including details about affected children, status of polio vaccination campaigns in union councils, and overall challenges.

During the session, participants discussed the recent surge in polio cases in specific areas and devised strategic decisions to reassess and enhance the eradication strategy. Emphasis was placed on garnering increased public support to address this critical public health challenge effectively.

Addressing the participants, Chief Secretary Nadeem Aslam Chaudhry stressed the importance of public cooperation, involvement, and awareness in the fight against polio. He directed divisional and district authorities to take further proactive steps to ensure community engagement. “Public cooperation has been pivotal in our polio eradication efforts so far, and it remains indispensable until the complete elimination of the virus,” he stated.

The Chief Secretary also expressed his gratitude to Deputy Director of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Michael Galway, for his visit support in the fight against polio in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2024