Polio eradication initiative program.

According to Planning and Development Division, during 2019-2021 Pakistan will invest US $ 347.22 million (PKR 46.8 billion) for polio eradication activities. Vaccine procurement and social mobilization is undertaken by UNICEF while WHO incurs expenditures on operational activities and environmental surveillance. 2nd Revision of the PC-I has been in principle approved in the CDWP meeting dated 03-01-2019.

Through polio eradication efforts, a substantial investment has been made in strengthening health service delivery systems in Pakistan. Thousands of health workers have been trained, hundreds of volunteers have been mobilized to support immunization campaigns, and cold-chain transport equipment has been refurbished. Consequently, Polio incidence has almost been eradicated in Pakistan. It is evident that during calendar year 2011 there were total 198 polio cases that were reduced to 12 in 2018 and during first quarter of 2019, 02 cases in Punjab, 01 case in Sindh, 03 cases in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and 3 cases in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Tribal District ( KPTD) are observed. No doubt, Pakistan has made important progress towards eradications polio in the country.

Case numbers are at the lowest and the immunity gaps continued to decline. However, in...