PM Meets Bill Gates to Discuss Polio Status in Pakistan
by Naba Batool
SHARES
In February 2022 Bill Gates who is the co-chair of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation had a formal meeting with the Prime Minister of Pakistan and other leaders of Islamabad. This meeting was an effort to surface Pakistan’s progress in the context of Polio eradication from the country.
Pakistan and Afghanistan are those two countries of the world where the poliovirus continues to circulate. Even though not a single child has been paralyzed by the virus infection in over more than a year.
Bill Gates said that “Pakistan’s commitment to ending polio is inspiring. Government leaders, health workers, and parents are working tirelessly to ensure this disease never paralyzes a child again. This is the final, and hardest, phase of the eradication effort, but by keeping up the momentum and staying vigilant, Pakistan has an opportunity to make history by ending polio for good.”
It has been over a year since wild polio paralyzed a child in Pakistan, presenting an incredible opportunity to stop this disease for good. I traveled to Pakistan to learn from their polio program leaders. https://t.co/OgEiuD5bFj
— Bill Gates (@BillGates) February 18, 2022
Pakistan has faced issues in the past when it comes to vaccine hesitancy and parents’ acceptance towards such matters. Bill Gates was also presented with a briefing at the National Emergency Operations Center for polio eradication.
PM went on to say that “Polio eradication is a top priority for our government. We are working at all levels to ensure that every child is protected with the polio vaccine and are grateful for the continued partnership and support from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and our other polio partners. We have a clear plan to stop this virus, and I am committed to seeing it implemented in full so that Pakistan can help secure a polio-free world.”
