ISLAMABAD: Federal Minister for National Health Services, Regulations, and Coordination, Abdul Qadir Patel on Friday said that the government had decided to adopt a unique way to create public awareness against the crippling disease polio, with the help of truck art to stop virus transmission.
Addressing the launching ceremony of the anti-polio awareness drive using truck art, the minister said that the public service messages would be printed in local languages on trucks traveling on routes of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) and Afghanistan to educate the population.
He said that truck art was a unique and deep-rooted part of Pakistan’s cultural heritage, which “will be now used for a cause to eradicate polio through educating people in high-risk areas.”
He said that various attractive and persuasive messages about polio and the importance of vaccination would be printed on trucks in the local languages spoken in four provinces for a clear understanding of the general public.
“We are working to prepare a comprehensive strategy for the complete eradication of polio from the country. For this purpose all available resources will be utilized,” Qadir Patel said.
He said, “Although, there is no cure for polio, vaccination is the most effective way to protect children from this disease.
Each time a child under the age of five is vaccinated, their protection against the virus is increased.”
He said that repeated immunizations had protected millions of children from polio, allowing almost all countries in the world to become polio-free, besides the two endemic countries, Pakistan and Afghanistan.
Patel said, “The only way to stop the virus is to vaccinate all children under the age of five. It is critically important that parents and caregivers, particularly in high-risk areas, ensure that their child is vaccinated.”
“The isolation of the virus is a cause of concern and it is excellent to note that it was detected promptly. This timely detection of the virus in the environment is crucial to protecting children from being paralyzed by the poliovirus”, he said.
