Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif chaired the meeting, which was also attended virtually by Bill Gates, the chairman of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, as well as other top officials.

The gathering came as Pakistan recorded another case of the crippling polio virus, taking the total number of cases reported this year to 14.

Pakistan has recorded another case of the crippling polio virus, taking the total number of cases this year to 14.

The latest victim is a 20-month-old female child from Qila Saifullah in Balochistan, the province that accounts for 11 of the 14 cases reported so far in 2023.

The Prime Minister expressed his concerns about the increasing number of polio cases and stated that a renewed vigor is needed to eradicate the virus.

He thanked Bill Gates for his continued support for polio eradication efforts globally and lauded the new leadership of the virus eradication program for accepting the challenge during a time of crisis.

In his remarks, Bill Gates acknowledged the Pakistan government’s ownership of the polio eradication efforts and commended the vaccination teams for their hard work in trying to reach every child during the recent polio campaign.

He emphasized that sustaining this effort over the next few months can help halt the transmission of the poliovirus in the country.

The Prime Minister’s Focal Person on Polio, Ayesha Raza Farooq, provided a detailed briefing on the current virus situation, highlighting the key challenges and gaps over the last couple of years.

She stated that the outbreak is largely driven by the intense circulation in traditional core reservoirs of Karachi, Quetta, and Peshawar, and that the next four months are crucial for reversing the tide through high-quality vaccination rounds.

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The provincial chief secretaries also updated the forum on the actions being taken in their respective regions to implement the national roadmap on polio eradication.

The Prime Minister’s Coordinator on Health assured of full support to the provinces to completely eradicate the virus.