UAE provided 219mn polio vaccines to Pakistan in four years: official

SHARJAH: The United Arab Emirates (UAE) has provided over 219 million units of polio vaccine to more than 43 million Pakistani children between 2014 and September 2017, through its anti-polio drive in the country, said director UAE-Pakistan Assistance Programme (UAE-PAP).

The UAE-PAP was launched under the directives of President His Highness Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan and His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces, reported the Emirates247.

The UAE vaccination campaign is part of efforts to eradicate polio in the world and reflects the UAE leadership’s keenness to strengthen global efforts to reduce the spread of epidemics and prevent their impact on children.

Speaking to reporters today at the International Health Forum, “Reaching the Last Mile – Mobilising Together to Eliminate Infectious Disease”, Abdullah Khalifa Al Ghafli, Director of UAE-PAP, said that in the first nine months of 2017, the campaign succeeded in providing 61,670,713 doses of the vaccine and is continuing its efforts to deliver more in the future.

Al Ghafli praised the support provided by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation for the UAE’s campaign and its strategic partnership with Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed’s initiative to eradicate poliomyelitis worldwide through funding and providing assistance in a number of areas.

He said the campaign was being implemented in various regions of Pakistan with the support of more than 87,000 workers including doctors and nurses and more than 25,000 members of safety and security, management and coordination teams.