Pakistan PM Imran Khan meets polio workers who braved heavy snow for immunisation

Khan met Irfanullah and other brave workers and appreciated their efforts.

Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan lauded the efforts of workers who trudged through waist-deep snow to administer police vaccinations to children.

Khan met the workers who were video-graphed bracing harsh weather and trekking vaccines to help eradicate the crippling disease.

A picture was widely circulated that showed worker Irfanullah struggling to walk in knee-deep snow in Swat. Khan met Irfanullah and other brave workers and appreciated their efforts.

The PM also discussed strategies to eradicate the disease in the country's first nationwide polio vaccination campaign for the year.

Irfanullah's picture gained wide recognition on social media and netizens praised the polio worker's determination and commitment. Even UNICEF Pakistan, in a tweet, had also appreciated the long-distance travel of polio workers and shared shared a picture of polio worker walking through snow, according to reports in Geo TV.

In a report in Washington Post, Pakistan is one of three countries in the world where polio is still endemic.

The other two are Afghanistan and Nigeria. The polio drive started last week is aimed at targeting 39.2 million under-five children across the country, except for some areas badly hit by winter rains. The campaign will try to include children who move across the Afghan-Pakistan border as well. In 2018, Pakistan reported only eight new polio cases.

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