Bill Gates Joins Pakistan's PM Shehbaz Sharif in National Taskforce to Eradicate Polio

Islamabad - 25 June 2024 (Adnan Hameed) : Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif chaired a meeting of the National Taskforce on Polio Eradication in Islamabad today. Mr. Bill Gates, Chair of Gates Foundation together with Dr. Chris Elias, President Global Development, Dr. Anita Zaidi, President Gender Equality and Michael Galway, Deputy Director of Polio Eradication of the Gates Foundation alongwith partner organizations of Rotary, UNICEF, WHO and Centre for Disease Control attended the meeting. The Prime Minister appreciated Gates Foundation for its key partnership and long association in the polio eradication programme. He also appreciated the dedication of frontline workers, government leadership and partner support for the significant progress against polio. Mr. Shehbaz Sharif resolved that as long as the virus continues to circulate and paralyze children, our efforts would continue with full force. Terming the reporting of 5 polio cases and 185 environment samples as poliovirus positive during 2024 as great cause of concern, the Prime Minister directed to employ all resources at the disposal of Pakistan to give security to polio vaccination teams and to gear up national efforts to eradicate polio from Pakistan. He directed all stakeholders to ensure that every child in Pakistan receives multiple doses of the vaccine and is protected against polio. Provinces should lead polio eradication efforts in their regions with a sense of urgency to interrupt wild poliovirus transmission this year, he emphasized. Mr. Bill Gates in his remarks underscored that his foundation will continue to extend support to Pakistan for polio eradication. He also emphasized obtaining maximum vaccination coverage during polio vaccination campaigns. The meeting was briefed about the challenges in implementing successive polio drives in several areas, particularly in security-compromised areas and some parts of Balochistan. The meeting was also briefed about different steps taken by provincial governments to eradicate Polio Virus and recent trends in immunization. It was told that Punjab has been leading in routine immunization and its ratio was the highest among the provinces. An overview of the ongoing response to the recent surge in wild poliovirus detections throughout Pakistan was also given to participants. The Taskforce acknowledged and appreciated that health workers, community mobilizers, and Rotarians in the national polio program remain steadfastly committed to tackling challenges including insecurity, inconsistent access to populations on the move, and pockets of vaccine refusal that allow the last traces of the virus to persist. In addition to polio vaccination campaigns, the Task Force also resolved to strengthen routine immunization at health facilities. Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Muhammad Ishaq Dar, Minister for Information Ataullah Tarar, MoS IT Shaza Fatema Khawaja, Coordinator to PM on Health Dr. Malik Mukhtar Ahmed Bharath, Provincial Ministers for Health of the four provinces and AJK, Engineer-in-Chief Lt. Gen Kashif Nazir, Chief Secretaries of the four provinces, AJK and Gilgit-Baltistan and senior officials attended the meeting.