Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi Tuesday said after almost three decades of investments, efforts and sacrifices Pakistan was at the closest point to interrupting poliovirus transmission and was heading towards finally eradicating it. In a message on the World Polio Day, the Prime Minister said "the Government of Pakistan is fully committed to winning this decisive round to ensure that our children will never again be afflicted by polio."
The Prime Minister said Pakistan was one of the last three countries remaining with the wild poliovirus. He said "a polio-free world is within our grasp and are at the last mile of our cherished goal of polio eradication." He said Pakistan was fighting an intense final battle with the virus in selected pockets of the country.
Prime Minister Abbasi said "today more than 16 million people worldwide, who would otherwise be paralysed, are able to walk - thanks to concerted polio eradication efforts. This means 500,000 people from Pakistan could walk who would otherwise have been affected, he pointed."Let us resolve on this World Polio Day that we will give no room for the poliovirus to find any sanctuary within our communities or our homes."
The Prime Minister thanked the hardworking Sehat Muhafiz who reached out to children across the length and breadth of the country. He pointed that their dedication had played an important role in bringing close to the goal of eradication of polio.