Upon the directives of His Highness Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, President of the United Arab Emirates and Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces, to provide humanitarian and development assistance to the friendly people of Pakistan and in implementation of the initiative of His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces, to eradicate polio globally the administration of the UAE Pakistan Assistance Program (UAE PAP) launched the “EMIRATES POLIO CAMPAIGN” in the Islamic Republic of Pakistan under the slogan “HEALTHY AND BRIGHT FUTURE FOR ALL”.
The ‘EMIRATES POLIO CAMPAIGN’ for polio eradication is a true interpretation of the directives of His Highness Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, President of the United Arab Emirates and Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces, to boost efforts in support of health care Programs in the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, bring epidemics under control and deflect the health hazards on the children in the affected areas.
The campaign is, moreover, emblematic of UAE’s humanitarian commitment to the poor nations, human development programs and securing decent life for the people. This campaign proves that the humanitarian efforts and initiatives made by the UAE are effective in maintaining noble humanitarian objectives and highlights UAE’s leading role in supporting international efforts and United Nations programs to protect communities against diseases and epidemics and bring under control the affects of crises and disasters.
His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces, made a AED 440 million (US$ 120M) contribution to the global efforts to eradicate polio by 2018 with particular emphasis on Pakistan and Afghanistan. His Highness noted that saving children from curable diseases is an outstanding humanitarian enterprise that can be only pursued through teamwork and collaborative efforts. His Highness Sheikh Mohamed said that the UAE, under the leadership and directives of His Highness Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, President of the United Arab Emirates and Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces, has always been seeking International partnerships to sort out these important global issues.
His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces, added that the world still has the historic opportunity to wipe out polio in the next six years, stating the dwindling number of cases and that the international community being now able to neutralize this threat for the coming generations.
This is the second contribution by His Highness Sheikh Mohamed Bin Zayed Al Nahyan to deliver lifesaving vaccines and serums to all children of the world.
In 2011 His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan and Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation announced a strategic partnership to offer a $100 million contribution –on 50/50 basis- to purchase and deliver vaccines to the children of Afghanistan and Pakistan.
The “EMIRATES POLIO CAMPAIGN” derives its importance from its role in supporting the Global Polio Eradication Initiative (GPEI) of the General Assembly of “World Health Organization” for eradicating polio by the end of 2018 and supporting the Pakistani government’s National Emergency Action Plan (NEAP) to wipe out polio virus.
The “EMIRATES POLIO CAMPAIGN” has an exceptional role to play and is highly vital in wiping out this disease. The success of this campaign is closely monitored and followed up by the World Health Organization (WHO) and relevant international organizations as a benchmark for controlling this disease, not only in Pakistan but also worldwide.
The geographical coverage of the “EMIRATES POLIO CAMPAIGN” in Pakistan comprises 66 regions spanning the following four provinces:
- Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KPK) Province: 25 Areas
- Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA): 13 Areas.
- Balochistan Province: 16 Areas
- Sindh Province: 12 Areas
The final results showed success in providing 13,283,701 polio vaccines as follows:
- (A) 10,235,995 vaccines for the children in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KPK) Province.
- (B) 3,047,706 vaccines for the children in Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA).
| Province | June | July | August | September | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Khyber Pakhtunkhwa | 2045911 | 2038831 | 2329226 | 3822027 | 10235995 |
| Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) | 1002758 | 650570 | 1394378 | 3047706 | |
| Total Number of Vaccination Doses | 3048669 | 2038831 | 2979796 | 5216405 | 13283701 |
The final results indicated success in providing as many as 73,299,231 polio vaccines as follows:
- (A) 41,595,550 vaccines for the children in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KPK) Province.
- (B) 9,291,435 vaccines for the children in Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA).
- (C) 8,863,616 vaccines for the children in Balochistan Province.
- (D) 13,548,630 vaccines for the children of Sindh Province.
| Province | January | February | March | April | May | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Khyber Pakhtunkhwa | 7954841 | 8572097 | 8603306 | 8509103 | 7956203 | 41595550 |
| Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) | 1785316 | 1764601 | 1973593 | 1902633 | 1865292 | 9291435 |
| Balochistan | 1765365 | 1831090 | 1801002 | 1728903 | 1737256 | 8863616 |
| Sindh | 2320864 | 2810036 | 2900115 | 2791234 | 2726381 | 13548630 |
| Total Number of Vaccination Doses | 13826386 | 14977824 | 15278016 | 14931873 | 14285132 | 73299231 |
| Province | Phase - I | Phase - II | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Khyber Pakhtunkhwa | 10235995 | 41595550 | 51831545 |
| Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) | 3047706 | 9291435 | 12339141 |
| Balochistan | 8863616 | 8863616 | |
| Sindh | 13548630 | 13548630 | |
| Total Number of Vaccination Doses | 13283701 | 73299231 | 86582932 |
