Afghanistan key source of polio disease in Pakistan: Imran

Published February 6, 2020
Prime Minister Imran Khan met a delegation of the Rotary International organisation which is also working for polio eradication.  — Photo courtesy Radio Pakistan
Prime Minister Imran Khan met a delegation of the Rotary International organisation which is also working for polio eradication. — Photo courtesy Radio Pakistan

ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Imran Khan has said that poliovirus is spreading in the country from Afghanistan and that special arrangements are being made to monitor cross-border movement of people from the neighbouring country.

“Special arrangements are being made to monitor cross-border movement of people from Afghanistan and that will help prevent spread of poliovirus,” the prime minister was quoted as saying at a meeting with a delegation of Rotary International on Wednesday.

According to the Prime Minister Office (PMO), Mr Khan said that Pakistan’s biggest priority was to eradicate polio from the country as the government was taking all steps in its fight against the ailment.

Media reports said that Pakistan was one of the three remaining countries in the world where poliomyelitis (polio) was still categorised as an endemic viral infection. The others being Afghanistan and Nigeria.

The prime minister met a delegation of the Rotary International organisation which was also working for polio eradication.

Special Assistant to Prime Minister on Health Dr Zafar Mirza also attended the meeting.

The RI delegation also met Chief of Army Staff Gen Qamar Javed Bajwa on Tuesday and the army chief lauded its role in the fight against polio.

During the meeting with the prime minister, Dr Zafar briefed the RI team about measures taken by the government to root out polio from the country and said that four million children under the age of five had been administered polio drops.

Dr Mirza said that in the ongoing drive, more than 100,000 security personnel and 250,000 polio workers had performed their duties.

Mr Khan said that the government would put to use all possible resources to get rid of the disease and measures were being taken to check cross-border (Pakistan and Afghanistan) movement of people.

He said the government valued every organisation working for eradication of polio from the country including RI.

During his meeting with RI delegation, Gen Bajwa discussed measures related to healthcare in Pakistan and the country’s battle against poliovirus and praised the contribution of the organisation in the eradication of polio from Pakistan.

He expressed the hope that collective efforts would lead to completely rooting out the disease from the country.

Published in Dawn, February 6th, 2020

Opinion

Editorial

Military option
Updated 21 Nov, 2024

Military option

While restoring peace is essential, addressing Balochistan’s socioeconomic deprivation is equally important.
HIV/AIDS disaster
21 Nov, 2024

HIV/AIDS disaster

A TORTUROUS sense of déjà vu is attached to the latest health fiasco at Multan’s Nishtar Hospital. The largest...
Dubious pardon
21 Nov, 2024

Dubious pardon

IT is disturbing how a crime as grave as custodial death has culminated in an out-of-court ‘settlement’. The...
Islamabad protest
Updated 20 Nov, 2024

Islamabad protest

As Nov 24 draws nearer, both the PTI and the Islamabad administration must remain wary and keep within the limits of reason and the law.
PIA uncertainty
20 Nov, 2024

PIA uncertainty

THE failed attempt to privatise the national flag carrier late last month has led to a fierce debate around the...
T20 disappointment
20 Nov, 2024

T20 disappointment

AFTER experiencing the historic high of the One-day International series triumph against Australia, Pakistan came...