Pakistan Cricket Board To Bat For Polio Eradication

The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) and the National Emergency Operations Centre (NEOC) of the Pakistan Polio Eradication Programme on Tuesday signed a Letter of Agreement to work together to eradicate polio from the country.

As per a statement issued by the PCB, through this partnership, PCB and NEOC will conduct a wide range of activities to raise awareness on the importance of polio vaccination.

Under the partnership, to achieve the shared goal of polio eradication, various visibility campaigns will be organised during cricket events for raising awareness of vaccine acceptance in the country through active involvement of cricketers across Pakistan.

Pakistan is one of the two polio endemic countries in the world along with its neighbour Afghanistan.

“Pakistan is currently facing a challenging situation in polio eradication with the upsurge of number of polio cases. So far this year, a total of 80 (November 6, 2020) polio cases have been reported including 23 from Balochistan, 22 each from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Sindh, and 13 from Punjab,” the statement read.

PCB Chief Executive Wasim Khan is delighted to play their part as an organisation in the betterment of the nation.

“The PCB is excited to play its role in the aspiration to have a polio-free Pakistan. We, as an organisation, are always ready to step-up and use the platform of cricket to help reach out to the population by raising greater awareness of national causes. The fight against polio starts with greater awareness and promoting a culture of vaccine acceptance. Protecting our society and keeping our children safe from polio remains our collective responsibility,” Khan said. (ANI)