Global aid organizations are standing shoulder to shoulder with Pakistan for the complete eradication of the polio virus. Rotary International has announced a generous donation of 9.9 million dollars for Pakistan’s polio eradication program, which has been handed over to the World Health Organization (WHO).
According to WHO, this grant will be used to conduct anti-polio campaigns in high-risk districts of Pakistan, as a result of which approximately 27 million children across the country will be vaccinated against polio. This assistance will further strengthen polio eradication activities in Pakistan.
A WHO spokesperson said that Rotary International is a founding member of the global polio eradication initiative and has been an important partner of Pakistan’s polio program for the past three decades. According to the spokesperson, Pakistan’s polio eradication program has completed three decades, and polio cases in the country have declined by 99.8 percent since 1994.
According to WHO data, 31 polio cases were reported in Pakistan last year, while globally polio cases have declined by 99.9 percent since 1988. Currently, only two countries in the world, Pakistan and Afghanistan, are affected by wild polio virus type one.
The spokesperson further said that Rotary International has so far provided 3 billion dollars for the global polio eradication program, out of which 500 million dollars have been allocated for polio eradication efforts in Pakistan. With the support of Rotary International and global partners, efforts to completely eradicate polio in Pakistan are progressing rapidly.
