In the worldwide battle to eradicate polio, every child must be innoculated, experts at a majlis in the capital said on Monday night.
As long as one child is infected all are at risk of the crippling disease, the audience at Al Bateen Palace heard. The talk was part of the Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed lecture series.
Dr Omniyat Al Hajri, director of public health and policy at Health Authority Abu Dhabi and the panel moderator, said the UAE had been polio free since 1993 but that wasn’t enough.
“The UAE decided to have a role in eradicating the disease from the rest of the world and help other countries,” she said.
Most notable is the country's role in helping to kill off the disease in Pakistan, a key part of the global campaign's success.
In April, leaders of the Global Polio Eradication Initiative gathered in Abu Dhabi to discuss how close they were to wiping out the disease. The meeting came two years after the Global Vaccine Summit, also held in the capital.
Despite many hurdles in Pakistan, including ongoing security issues, targeted killings and kidnappings of medical staff, and a lack of updated statistics on the number of children in deserted towns and villages, thousands of youngsters have been vaccinated, said Abdullah Al Ghufli, director of the UAE Pakistan Assistance Programme.
“The last census in Pakistan was taken in 1998. There are many undocumented children that we are not aware of,” he said. “We are continually surprised at new geographical regions that weren’t a part of our target.”During the second phase of the Emirates Polio Campaign, which ran from January through May, about 73.3 million vaccines were administered in Pakistan’s four key areas: Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, Sindh province, Balochistan province and the Federally Administered Tribal Areas.
Overall, during the entire campaign, 3,205 doctors, 123,487 vaccination teams and 21,116 security personnel were involved.
From the start of the year until the end of last month, only 24 cases were reported to authorities – a 71 per cent drop over the same period last year (82).
The UAE has contributed Dh440 million to global efforts concentrated on eradicating the disease by 2018, with particular emphasis on Pakistan and Afghanistan where polio is rife.
In partnership with the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, the UAE has contributed about US$4 billion (Dh14.69bn) to the cause.
Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces, pledged Dh440 million in 2013, while Microsoft co-founder Mr Gates contributed Dh6.6bn.
That year, the UAE Pakistan Assistance Programme helped vaccinate 8 million children.
It may have taken a long time, but the end goal is in sight, said Dr Elias Durray, World Health Organisation emergency coordinator. “Africa will be polio free soon. It took a long time but polio can be eradicated and we are looking forward to the day where no child is left behind.”
Since 1988, cases worldwide have dropped 99 per cent from an estimated 350,000 patients to 223 in 2012, said Dr Durray, who has specialised in polio eradication for almost two decades.
Those at the majlis were shown clips from the documentary Every Last Child, produced by Image Nation Abu Dhabi. It tells the story of five Pakistani families affected by polio.
“The film takes you to the heart of polio” said director Tom Roberts. “It was a sad privilege.”
Polio mainly affects children aged 5 and under. One in 200 infections leads to irreversible paralysis, of which 5 to 10 per cent of cases prove fatal.
The lecture was attended by members of the Royal Family including Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed, Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Sheikh Saif bin Zayed, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Interior, Sheikh Nahyan bin Mubarak, Minister of Culture, Youth and Community Development, Sheikh Nahyan bin Zayed, Chairman of the Board of Trustees of Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan Charitable and Humanitarian Foundation, and various other sheikhs, ministers, ambassadors and members of the public.
nalremeithi@thenational.ae
