Aseefa commends efforts, sacrifices of health teams for polio eradication

KARACHI: Rotary Ambassador for Polio Aseefa Bhutto Zardari on Wednesday celebrated World Polio Day at the Emergency Operation Centre for Polio and inoculated children with two drops of polio vaccine.

During the ceremony Aseefa Bhutto Zardari gave presents to children and conversed with their families, followed by a cake cutting ceremony to mark world polio day, and also and met people responsible for managing the polio programme in Sindh.

She appreciated the efforts made by the Sindh polio team in the eradication of the virus, which she said was the dream her mother Benazir Bhutto who laid the foundation for the programme in the country.

“Pakistan has come a long way in polio eradication, from 306 cases in 2014 to six cases this year, this shows vaccines work and that we are close to eradicating polio from this country.

“It was the dream of my mother Shaheed Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto to see a polio free Pakistan, we will make sure that dream becomes a reality. I thank the people working tirelessly at the EOC, it is their efforts that have brought the country to the brink of polio eradication.”

She appealed to all parents to vaccinate their children to prevent the disease. She also commended the efforts of polio workers particularly women working on the frontline in the eradication programme.

“No child should have to suffer from a vaccine preventable disease, I appeal to all parents to vaccinate their children with two drops of the polio vaccine every time they are offered.

“I also want to thank the women working at the frontline of this programme, their efforts and sacrifices have brought us success and without them nothing was possible.”

EOC coordinator Fayaz Jatoi and Technical Focal Person EOC Sindh Dr. Ahmad Ali Shaikh welcomed her to the polio cell and were joined by EOC Adviser Shahnaz Wazir AlI, Chairman of the National Polio Plus Committee Pakistan for Rotary International Aziz Memon, Chief of Field Office UNICEF Sindh Cristina Brugiolo, Technical Focal Person National EOC Dr. Altaf Bossan, and team leads from WHO and UNICEF.

After the ceremony Ms. Aseefa Bhutto Zardari tweeted: On #WorldPolioDay we recommit ourselves to the eradication of polio in Pakistan. We must protect every child from this crippling disease. It was the dream of my mother Shaheed Mohtarma #Benazir Bhutto to see a polio free Pakistan & it has become my mission to make her dream a reality.

On #WorldPolioDay we recommit ourselves to the eradication of polio in Pakistan,we must protect every child from this crippling disease. It was the dream of my mother Shaheed Mohtarma #BenazirBhutto to see a polio free Pakistan&it has become my mission to make her dream a reality pic.twitter.com/2Izi5WV1I2

— Aseefa B Zardari (@AseefaBZ) October 24, 2018

World Polio Day is celebrated on October 24 every year and is an opportunity to raise awareness around vaccination.

Pakistan and Afghanistan are the last two polio endemic countries in the world but great progress has been made with historically low cases in Pakistan in 2017, which shows the country is taking concrete efforts for a polio free world.