The first-ever visit by billionaire philanthropist Bill Gates to Pakistan has once again highlighted the polio eradication efforts in the country. Pakistan is one of the last two countries in the world along with its war-ravaged neighbour Afghanistan where the virus is still endemic.
Bill Gates arrived on a day-long visit to Islamabad where he meet with Prime Minister Imran Khan and was also briefed on the polio eradication and coronavirus relief efforts. Gates hailed Pakistan’s efforts to eliminate polio despite the pandemic and ensure the virus does not cripple another child. The efforts of health workers, who have risked their lives, is the biggest reason for a successful campaign.
The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, of which Gates is co-chair, is part of the Global Polio Eradication Initiative (GPEI), a major project between governments and international organisations. The foundation has made stringent efforts in Pakistan through targeted vaccination campaigns, community mobilisation and finding ways to galvanise political support in polio-affected countries.
According to health and humanitarian officials, Pakistan’s attempts to eradicate the disease are at a sensitive state but there is hope. There has been no case of poliovirus in the past year but it has been detected in sewage samples. Gates said the final hurdle is the hardest phase of the eradication efforts but Pakistan has the opportunity to keep the momentum and end polio for good.
Progress against polio in Pakistan is critical to achieving global eradication because polio anywhere means there is a risk of polio everywhere. The government has made efforts to ensure that vaccinators are better trained, supervised, paid on time, and are provided security. It will require collective efforts to ensure that all children in Pakistan and around the world are safe from the virus.
Polio is a critical priority in global health as efforts are must to end all forms of polio worldwide. With Afghanistan cast in oblivion due to the humanitarian crisis, Pakistan needs to buckle up and finally eliminate the virus.
