At the conclusion of its meeting in Islamabad today, the
Technical Advisory Group (TAG) has appreciated the progress made in Pakistan
over the past nine months on the way to achieving polio eradication.
The
TAG recognized the progress made in the reduction of cases to an all-time low
of five because of the high level of government commitment led by the Prime
Minister, provincial leadership and support of the law enforcement agencies and
security forces ensuring the safety of the hard working vaccination teams. It
further commended Pakistan’s response to the recommendations from the last TAG
in March this year, and endorsed the one-team-one-family approach of the
Emergency Operation Centre teams working towards the goal of eradication.
The
TAG also noted that transmission of the wild poliovirus persists in hotspots,
core reservoirs of Karachi and across Northern Southern Corridors. For Pakistan
to reach the goal of zero cases, the TAG urged for continued focus on improving
the overall performance and decreasing the number of children being missed in
the core reservoir areas and to identify and address the residual risks and act
swiftly in response.
Provincial
leadership of the programme presented TAG with a comprehensive picture of the
epidemiological situation across the country, indicating the progress made in
each province as well as the remaining gaps to end transmission of the
poliovirus.
Presenting
the findings and recommendations at the conclusion of the meeting, TAG Chair
Jean Marc Olive said “the TAG has reviewed the latest epidemiology and
programme performance thoroughly. At this critical juncture, the outcome of TAG
will help spotlight the remaining gaps and advise Pakistan’s programme on
improving the planning and implementation of its National Emergency Action
Plan”.
The
Prime Ministers Focal Point for Polio Eradication Senator Ayesha Raza Farooq
thanked members of the TAG as well as the provincial polio eradication teams
for the detailed and constructive deliberations during the meetings.
“The
key to interruption is for the programme to be fully aware of the remaining
challenges and obstacles we need to overcome. Pakistan’s commitment is
steadfast as witnessed by the substantial progress made this year. Built on a
solid foundation of overwhelming political commitment and support, we remain on
track to interrupt transmission”, said Senator Farooq.
Since
the last TAG, the Pakistan Polio Eradication Initiative (PEI) has made
considerable progress owing to the high commitment of the government and
support at every level, strengthened programme performance and broad community
acceptance of the polio vaccine. Consequently, case numbers have come the
lowest they have ever been. The number of children paralyzed by the wild
poliovirus has dropped from 306 in 2014 to 54 in 2015 to 20 in 2016 and only
five so far in 2017 and the immunity gaps continue to decline. However, in
pockets of the country, any unvaccinated children remains vulnerable.
The two-day meeting drew polio
experts from lead implementation partners World Health Organization (WHO) and
United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), leadership and teams from provinces
across Pakistan, senior representatives from across the Global Polio
Eradication Initiative (GPEI) and key donors.
“Polio
eradication has given us the tools and is the beginning of our efforts to reach
our most vulnerable children with equitable access to health care. The best way
to honour the commitment of our Frontline Health Workers who come from the same
underserved communities is to ensure that we finish the job and build a better
future for their children”, concluded Senator Farooq.
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