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UAE’s polio vaccination drive begins in Pakistan

3.6 million children to be covered in next 3 months

In implementation of the directives of the President, His Highness Shaikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, the UAE Project to Assist Pakistan has announced the launch of the UAE vaccination campaign against polio in the province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and tribal areas in Pakistan.

The campaign, under the slogan ‘Health for All... Better Future’, was launched at a Press conference in the Pakistani capital of Islamabad.

Addressing the Press conference, Abdullah Khalifa Al Ghafli, Director of UAE PAP, said, “The launch of the vaccination campaign came as per the directives of His Highness the Head of State to provide humanitarian and development assistance to the friendly people of Pakistan. It also comes as part of the initiative of General Shaikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces, to eradicate polio in the world.”

He pointed out that the UAE campaign is a humanitarian initiative aimed at vaccinating 3.643 million Pakistani children against polio over a period of three months, i.e. June, August and September.

General Shaikh Mohammed bin Zayed had earlier donated Dh440 million as a contribution in support of the global effort to eradicate polio by 2018, with a special focus on Pakistan and Afghanistan.

This contribution is the second one to be provided by General Shaikh Mohammed to deliver life-saving vaccines to children all over the world, as in 2011 when he and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation announced a strategic partnership whereby a total amount of$100 million, divided equally between the two parties, was presented for the purchase and delivery of vital vaccines for children in Afghanistan and Pakistan. Also, the Global Vaccine Summit in Abu Dhabi in 2013 saw the announcement of the 2013-2018 Strategic Plan which aims to completely eradicate polio, which would cost the international community $5.5 billion.

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