Islamabad, September 17, 2015: Today in a gathering of students organised by QAU welfare society in collaboration with National Emergency Operation Centre and National Child Health Consortium, students commit to play their role in raising awareness regarding polio disease in the community. More than 100 students participated and registered themselves as polio volunteers for the cause. Students from across Pakistan participated in the session.

The session started with the recitation of Holy Quran followed by a screening of polio survivors. Mr. Mazhar Nisar, National Health Education Advisor presented an overall introduction of poliovirus and polio disease. While speaking to the students, he emphasized on the role of youth in mobilizing the vicinity community towards polio eradication. “Youth can play a pivotal role in changing the society perceptions about public health programs through injecting fresh ideas and spreading messages”, said Mazhar Nisar during his remarks.

Earlier Mr. Wajih Akhtar, Convener, National Child Health Consortium spoke on the importance of civil society engagement in managing and creating an enabling environment where public health issues can be brought on top agenda of policy makers. He highlighted that deaths of children due to vaccine preventable diseases should be taken as a serious crime and youth should play its role as change catalyst.

After the session, students signed the pledge wall for supporting Polio Free Country and committed to initiate Polio literacy campaign in their communities through active participation and through social media discourse generation.