A seven-day anti-polio drive in Pakistan’s ninety-one selected districts has begun from Monday (today). According to details, more than 24 million children under the age of five years will be administered anti-polio vaccine during the drive in 3,786 selected union councils of 91 districts of the country. The campaign is being held in ten districts of Punjab, 24 districts of Sindh, 26 districts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, 30 districts of Balochistan, and the federal capital Islamabad. In a separate development in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, PM Shehbaz Sharif met the founder and co-chair of Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, Bill Gates, on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum’s special meeting.

During the meeting, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said Pakistan is working tirelessly to eradicate polio from the country and a sustained effort is required by all international partners to reach the goal of a polio-free Pakistan. Thanking the Foundation for its longstanding support for polio eradication in Pakistan, the Prime Minister said the country will continue its stronger partnership with the Foundation in this regard. On the occasion, Bill Gates recalled the immunization and polio vaccine program in Punjab under the leadership of Shehbaz Sharif as Chief Minister and emphasized on replicating the same practice across the country to make immunization program a success.

Credit: Independent News Pakistan