Japan announces $4.35 million grant to support Pakistan’s polio virus eradication

Islamabad: Japan has announced a $4.35 million (Dh 15.97 million) grant for Pakistan to procure essential oral polio vaccines.

The grant is part of the Japanese government’s continued support to Pakistan for its polio eradication efforts, said an official of the embassy of Japan.

The notes to this effect were signed and exchanged between the Government of Japan and the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), and the grant agreement was signed and exchanged between Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) and UNICEF on Monday.

With this grant 24 million oral doses of vaccines will be procured for the Pakistani government.

With the help of the Japanese aid Pakistan’s polio vaccination programme will reach out to around 21 million children under 5 with focus on the high-risk districts where the poliovirus transmission is feared to persist despite all government efforts. The vaccines will be used during vaccination drives planned in 2022.

According to the National Emergency Action Plan (NEAP) 2021-2023, the Polio Porgramme’s strategic goal is to permanently interrupt all poliovirus transmission in Pakistan by the end of 2023.

The polio eradication efforts made substantive progress in the outgoing year (2021) by limiting the virus circulation which resulted in a significant decrease of cases despite challenges posed by COVID-19.

Dr. Shahzad Baig, National Coordinator of the Pakistan Polio Eradication Programme was of the view that the government would be able to permanently interrupt all types of polioviruses by the end of 2023.

Appreciating the support of the Government of Japan, Dr Shahzad said: “We are grateful to the people and the Government of Japan for their unwavering support for the children of Pakistan, the new funding will enable us to reach every child with the essential polio vaccine.”

Wada Mitsuhiro, Ambassador of Japan expressed his joy that Pakistan was only one step away from the goal, polio-free Pakistan.

Japan has provided assistance in maternal and child health, polio eradication, and routine immunization in Pakistan for decades and will continue its support that will directly benefit vulnerable people, he said.

“Pakistan has achieved tremendous success against interrupting polio virus this year as the polio cases reported 84 in the year 2020 have come down to one case in the last eleven months,” said Aida Girma, UNICEF Representative in Pakistan, highlighting the consistent efforts of the Government of Pakistan and partners. “The last mile towards eradication, however, will be tough and requires continued support from the partners like the Government of Japan to achieve a polio-free status,” said Aida while acknowledging the support of the people and Government of Japan.

Polio is a highly infectious disease caused by a virus that mainly affects children under the age of five. It invades the nervous system and can cause paralysis or even death. While there is no cure for polio, vaccination is the only effective way to protect our children from the crippling disease. Every time children under the age of five get the polio vaccine, they are more protected. Such repeated immunizations have protected millions of children from polio and made most of the countries around the world polio free.