The group yesterday concluded its visit to the Islamic Republic to discuss the impact of the political transition on disease eradication efforts and strategies for vaccinating vulnerable children from polio-endemic districts in southern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, according to a report by the Associated Press of Pakistan (APP).
Consisting of Chris Elias, Chair of the Disease Oversight Committee; the Director of the World Health Organization (WHO) for the Eastern Mediterranean, Ahmad Al-Mandhari; The delegation spent four days visiting emergency centers in Lahore, Peshawar and Islamabad, including with the Deputy Regional Director of Unicef, Noala Skinner, and other personalities.
He also met with the national task force, Pakistani Health Minister Abdul Qadir Patel and other health sector officials.
Concluding the visit, Chris Elias highlighted Pakistan’s progress in the fight against polio eradication; However, he expressed caution about the goal of stopping poliovirus transmission by the end of this year.
Reaching the goal requires solidarity and collective action at all levels, as well as implementing a rigorous strategy with the full support of communities, political, administrative and security leaders, Ahmed Al-Mandhari said.
The WHO representative confirmed his organization’s support for Pakistan’s polio program.
Meanwhile, on behalf of UNICEF, Noala Skinner highlighted the commitment of frontline workers, including thousands of women who work tirelessly to vaccinate and protect millions of children from the deadly poliovirus, she said.
According to the APP, endemic poliovirus transmission is concentrated in seven districts in southern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, where a vaccination campaign is being maintained targeting more than 270,000 children under the age of five from 69 communities where polio and other essential immunization coverage has been inadequate.
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