5 hours Ago By Ariana News
Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said on Sunday that the government had been in contact with Afghanistan to eliminate polio. Addressing a ceremony in Islamabad to launch Pakistan's campaign, he said they aim to immunise millions of children. Shehbaz said: “We initiated the first polio eradication campaign of 2025 today.
” “Anti-polio teams will fulfil their duty by administering vaccine drops to children.” Sharif revealed that only one polio case had been reported in January this year in Pakistan but stated: “I wish not a single case had emerged this year.” He said that in collaboration with global organisations and partners, Pakistan would strive for polio eradication.
“We will eliminate polio with the assistance of Saudi Arabia, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, and other partners.” The prime minister reiterated that Pakistan had been coordinating with Afghanistan to combat polio. He emphasised that only through joint efforts could the disease be eradicated.
The World Health Organization stated last month that the total number of wild polio cases in Afghanistan last year were 25 and Pakistan 73. This was against the total case count of 12 in 2023 - six in Afghanistan and six in Pakistan. In December, Afghanistan's Ministry of Public Health announced that they had started a polio vaccination campaign in a number of provinces of the country in coordination with international organizations.
According to a press release from the ministry, at least 5.3 million children under the age of five received the polio vaccine in 11 provinces of the country. Afghanistan and Pakistan are the only two countries in the world where polio has not yet been eradicated and is still claiming the lives of children.
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