Towards a polio-free Pakistan in 2021
While Pakistan successfully tackled the pandemic, questions were raised as to why we couldn’t eradicate polio so far
Year 2020 will be remembered for the challenges it brought to global public health. Like others, Pakistan had to focus on mounting best possible response to control Covid-19. But perhaps the most critical contribution came from the national polio eradication programme. By using all available resources, its team helped build Covid surveillance and data management systems and raised awareness among people.
While Pakistan was applauded for successfully tackling the pandemic, questions were raised as to why we couldn’t eradicate polio so far. Pakistan and Afghanistan are the only ones left where wild polio virus continues to threaten children’s health — underlying the urgency we must work with in order to deliver a polio-free world.