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- UAE was the first to resume polio vaccination efforts in Pakistan after the coronavirus outbreak
- Next nationwide polio eradication campaign in Pakistan will be starting on Monday
ISLAMABAD: The United Arab Emirates (UAE) was the first to resume polio immunization efforts in Pakistan and helped vaccinate 16 million children, the UAE embassy said on Saturday.
The Pakistani government suspended nationwide polio efforts between April and July to focus on COVID-19 response.
“This year the #COVID19 has stopped vaccination efforts worldwide, and the United Arab Emirates was the first to resume the polio vaccination campaign in the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, as it reached 16 million children since July 2020,” the embassy said in a Twitter post.
The UAE anti-polio efforts, the embassy said, are part of an initiative by Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al-Nahyan to eradicate the infectious disease worldwide.
Polio is a highly infectious disease, which mainly affects children under the age of five and can cause paralysis or death. While there is no cure for polio, vaccination is the most effective means of protection against it.
The next nationwide polio eradication campaign in Pakistan will be starting on Monday, in 128 districts of the country, aiming to give polio drops to 31 million children.
Pakistan and Afghanistan remain the only countries where polio can be found, after Africa was declared polio-free in late August. Pakistan has registered 79 polio cases since the start of the year.