98% Of Polio Eliminated In Pakistan: UAE-PAP Director

Abdullah Khalifa Al Ghafli, UAE Pakistan Assistance Programme Director, said that the programme succeeded in reducing the number of polio cases in Pakistan from 306 cases in 2014 to four cases in October 2018, a decrease of 98 percent.

ISLAMABAD, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 23rd Oct, 2018 ) :Abdullah Khalifa Al Ghafli, UAE Pakistan Assistance Programme Director, said that the programme succeeded in reducing the number of polio cases in Pakistan from 306 cases in 2014 to four cases in October 2018, a decrease of 98 percent.

Al Ghafli said the efforts aimed at eradicating polio in Pakistan are paying off with total eradication of the disease at hand. He pointed out that the UAE Pakistan Assistance Programme, UAE-PAP, is in the implementation of the directives of President Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, which reflects the policy aimed at supporting the global efforts to eradicate epidemics and viruses globally.

He added that the unstinted support by Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces, has contributed to ensuring the total eradication of the disease after benefitting more than 400 million people around the world.

"In 2013, Abu Dhabi had hosted the World Vaccine Summit in which Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed launched his initiative to eradicate poliomyelitis in the world and announced a donation of US$120 million to eradicate this disease. Within this framework, the wise leadership issued directives to establish the UAE Pakistan Assistance Programme by launching the UAE vaccination campaign against polio in Pakistan," Al Ghafli said in an interview with the Emirates news Agency, WAM.

He stressed that preparing for the campaign was not easy, and highlighted the responsibility of achieving the directives of the wise leadership to manage the UAE-Pakistan Assistance Programme in areas where national and international campaigns had failed to operate. It required difficult field studies and putting in place advanced and innovative plans to overcome challenges and field problems, the most difficult of which was bringing about a change in mindsets and beliefs in the community about vaccines.

He said that the name of the UAE and its leaders were trusted by different tribes, people and families who had benefitted from the campaigns, and noted that security plans were made to cover all areas and ensure the safety of the teams conducting the vaccinations.

They were supported by the Pakistani armed forces and the Pakistani police, as well as awareness campaigns prior to the start of monthly campaigns which had a positive effect on the community and convinced them to cooperate.

He highlighted the support by influential figures to the vaccination teams who formed follow-up groups and supported the teams being prevented from reaching out to the children, as well as the use of schools and universities to hold awareness lectures about the disease and encouraging parents to cooperate with the vaccination campaigns.

Al Ghafli praised the efforts of the vaccination teams who he described as the "real warriors" and the cornerstone to the success of this project. He highlighted the implementation of a special strategy to develop their performance and increase the success of their efforts, that consisted of raising their monthly compensation and adjusting their training period.

The UAE Pakistan Assistance Programme Director noted that they implemented a community vaccination teams' system, that consists of groups from the community or the area they are operating in and they know all the children in the region and are trusted by the community.

He stressed that the campaign will continue to vaccinate Pakistani children in 2019 and 2020 in light of the UAE's commitment with the declaration of the global conference that was held in Atlanta, United States, in 2017 to completely eradicate polio in the world.