“We are working to develop a comprehensive strategy for polio eradication in the country. All available resources will be used for this purpose,” Minister stated.
The Federal Minister for National Health Services, Regulations, and Coordination on Thursday stated that the government intends to use truck art to raise public awareness of the crippling disease of polio and to prevent virus transmission.
According to a statement, public service messages will be printed in local languages on trucks travelling through Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa and Afghanistan to educate the population.
He stated that truck art is a distinct and deeply ingrained part of Pakistan’s cultural heritage, and that it will now be used to help eradicate polio by educating people in high-risk areas.
He stated that various appealing and persuasive messages about polio and the importance of vaccination will be printed on trucks in all languages used in four provinces for general public understanding.
“We are working to develop a comprehensive strategy for polio eradication in the country. All available resources will be used for this purpose,” the minister stated.
While there is no cure for polio, he believes that vaccination is the most effective way to protect children from the disease. Each time a child under the age of five is immunised, their immunity to the virus improves.
He claimed that repeated immunisations had protected millions of children from polio, allowing nearly every country in the world, with the exception of the two endemic countries of Pakistan and Afghanistan, to become polio-free.
“He said that the isolation of the virus is a cause for concern, and it is excellent to note that it was detected promptly.” He added that early detection of the virus in the environment is critical to preventing poliovirus paralysis in children.
Truck art is a form of folk art that originated in Pakistan and is now popular in many parts of South Asia, including India and Bangladesh.
It is characterized by brightly colored and intricately patterned designs, often featuring floral and geometric motifs, that are painted or applied to the exteriors of trucks and buses. The art is typically applied by skilled painters known as “truck artists” and can take weeks or even months to complete.