Photos: UAE re-affirms long-standing commitment to end polio in Pakistan

The UAE has boosted Pakistan's fight against polio by funding the Polio Eradication Initiative with Dh84.41 million ($23m), according to the World Health Organisation. The country has also donated about Dh1.4m for personal protective equipment to shield frontline workers against COVID-19 in 84 high-risk areas.

This funding and donation are to be utilised during 2021. It will enable the polio programme to maintain momentum to implement monthly polio campaigns targeting 16 million children in the highest-risk districts of Pakistan.

Since 2014, UAE has contributed over $200 million to polio eradication efforts in Pakistan.

Speaking on behalf of the Polio Eradication Initiative partners, Dr Palitha Mahipala, WHO Representative in Pakistan, thanked the UAE for their contribution. “The UAE has firmly stood by the polio programme, with vital yearly contributions and responding to pleas for extra funding to address unforeseen challenges such as COVID-19.

With their steadfast commitment to the shared goal of polio eradication, we can further strengthen our efforts to protect children from lifelong paralysis. This would not be possible without their support,” he said.

Pakistan has reported only one wild polio case in the first six months of the year. This is a significant decrease, over 98 per cent, compared to 59 cases during the same period last year.

The Government of Pakistan is fully committed to getting the country to zero wild polio cases over the coming months. To be certified as polio-free, Pakistan is required to report that there are no children affected by the wild poliovirus over a period of 3 years.

The UAE continues its role through its Pakistan Assistance Programme (UAE-PAP) to ensure that further gains can be made where they are needed most.

The Initiative of His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces, to eradicate polio globally has been instrumental in driving on-the-ground eradication efforts and gains within the most vulnerable communities in Pakistan.

In 2020, UAE-PAP support ensured that close to 16 million children under 5 years received protection through repeated polio campaigns as part of the umbrella Emirates Polio Campaign and all frontline workers in 84 districts received personal protective equipment and training to facilitate protection from COVID-19.

The Director of UAE-PAP, Abdulla Khalifa Alghfeli, praised the humanitarian approach and the generous support of Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed. Alghfeli explained that Sheikh Mohamed’s humanitarian initiative to eradicate polio is a major factor contributing to the elimination of the disease in the last reservoir of the virus in Afghanistan and Pakistan. “The efforts and sacrifices of the field vaccination teams, who face difficult field conditions and dangerous challenges, greatly contribute to the success of the campaigns and reducing the spread of poliovirus in Pakistan,” he added.

Dr Shahzad Baig, National Coordinator of the National Emergency Operations Centre for Polio Eradication (NEOC), wholeheartedly welcomed the UAE contribution as an important boost to ensure that the programme can control the virus through door-to-door polio campaigns. “We are getting closer to our goal, but this is not the time to be complacent. We are redoubling our efforts to ensure the gains of the past don’t slip away,” he said.