President stresses mass awareness, support for success of polio vaccination drive

ISLAMABAD: President Asif Ali Zardari on Tuesday urged the countrymen, including the media, teachers, religious scholars and the community, to create awareness and extend their support to the polio vaccination drive and dispel the allied misconceptions to achieve a polio-free Pakistan.

“I call on parents to open their doors to vaccinators, ensuring every child receives the life-saving polio drops. I urge teachers, religious leaders, and community elders to champion this noble cause, dispelling myths and building trust. I appeal to the media to amplify the truth: the polio vaccine is safe, effective, and our best weapon,” the president said in his message on the occasion of the countrywide polio eradication campaign launched on Monday targeting 45.4 million under-five children.

He reiterated his full support to his daughter and the First Lady, Aseefa Bhutto Zardari, whose tireless advocacy and efforts had galvanized Pakistan in this fight against polio.

“Her call to unite parents, community leaders, and youth reminds us that eradicating polio is our shared responsibility,” President Zardari said.

He said that over 400,000 dedicated frontline workers would go door-to-door across the cities, villages, and remote valleys to administer life-saving polio drops. This effort is a cornerstone of our mission to eradicate polio and secure a healthier future for our nation, he added.

The president also paid tribute to the brave polio workers, who risk their lives to reach every child, often in the face of grave danger.

“We also honour those polio workers and security officials who have made the ultimate sacrifice, losing their lives to cowardly attacks aimed at derailing our efforts to make Pakistan polio-free,” he added.

President Zardari also condemned the attack on a polio team in Naushki on Tuesday, in which a police official lost his life, and offered his heartfelt condolences to the bereaved family. Their courage and sacrifice inspire us all to save our children from this crippling disease, he reiterated.

The president observed that since the 1990s, Pakistan had made remarkable progress as polio cases had been reduced by over 99% through relentless vaccination drives, robust surveillance, and the courage of our health workers.

“Yet, the battle is not over. The 2024 surge in cases, particularly in Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, signals that we must intensify our efforts. We must protect our polio workers as well as dispel myths about the polio vaccine,” he said.

He observed that remote areas and mobile populations remained hard to reach, requiring innovative tools to ensure no child is missed, stressing the need for sustained high vaccination coverage to fully eliminate the virus.

“Today, we reiterate our commitment that we will not rest until polio is fully eradicated. We have the tools, the will, and the support of our global partners to make this vision a reality,” he said.

He expressed the confidence that Pakistan could be made polio-free through collective efforts. Let us seize this moment to vaccinate every child and protect our people from the crippling threat of the polio virus, he emphasised.