MN Report
KARACHI: Aseefa Bhutto Zardari said here that “we are running the last mile in the race against polio and if we all work together, the day is not far when no child in our country will have to suffer from polio and Pakistan will be declared a polio-free country.”
In a statement issued on the occasion of the World Polio Day, she said that it was a dream of her mother Shaheed Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto that no child should suffer from disability because of a preventable disease and now it is up to us to make that dream come true.
She appreciated the efforts of all the stakeholders involved in polio eradication, saying that though the number of polio cases have decreased from more than 300 in 2014 to 38 in 2015, it is still too high and as such we will have to make sure to cover all the missed children and that every chield gets two drops of polio vaccine when they are offered.
Aseefa felicitated and appreciated the work done by the Emergency Operation Centre for Polio in Sindh.
She also paid tributes to polio workers who have worked tirelessly in rough conditions to safeguard the children of Pakistan. “I salute the brave anti-polio workers on the ground, going door-to-door to ensure children's safety. I would like to thank WHO, UNICEF, The Gates Foundation, Rotary International, UAE and so many others for their continued support, she added.
She appealed to parents to bring their children for vaccination in order to save them from this crippling disease. “Don't rob your children of a future they deserve. Give them a chance. Let them get the polio vaccine,” she added.