Daily Times

KARACHI: Two polio workers from Pakistan were conferred awards in Paris for their commitment towards the eradication of this debilitating disease.

A report reaching here Thursday from Paris said that the awards were given in connection with the World Polio Day marked in the French capital.

It said that the workers were Latif who hails from Northern Pakistan and Azra from Punjab who spent decades going door-to-door to make sure children are routinely vaccinated.

While working in Karachi, Latif was shot in his leg in 2012 due to this work. After spending months in hospital and leaving his home, he took up another job to spread awareness and reduce long-held fears about the polio vaccination.

The World Polio Day event organised by Sanofi Pasteur, the vaccine producer. Latif remarked on the occasion that he was happy that his efforts of over 24 were recognised.

According to report, Pakistan’s Ambassador to France, Moin-ul-Haque, gave Latif the award.

The Envoy stated that the event was important to mark how far the country had overcome multiple challenges.

`We are very proud of our polio workers- they are the real heroes and warriors in this battle that we are slowly but surely winning’ he Ambassador was quoted as saying.

The report said that polio remains endemic in Pakistan, Afghanistan and Nigeria.

It pointed out that Pakistan has seen significant progress with 15 cases reported in 2016 so far compared to more than 300 in 2014.

Experts like Dr Zubair Wadood who has spent over a decade working on the polio drive in Pakistan said that we have had only two polio cases reported in FATA so far and none in the core polio reservoirs since the beginning of the year.

The next few months over winter in Pakistan will be key to gauge how much the transmission of the virus has been halted. Vaccinating 35 million children consistently over six months is no mean feat, but Dr Wadood is extremely confident that a polio-free world is within reach.