00:00When Sadia Suleimani was a young child, a day spent playing in the mud led to tragedy.
00:10I had a fever for 21 days. The doctor gave me an injection and my leg was affected.
00:18I was injected at night and in the morning my legs were not good. I couldn't even touch the floor.
00:24At five years old she contracted polio, an incurable virus which mainly affects kids and can cause paralysis.
00:32Sadia had to relearn to walk and needs crutches to get around.
00:37Now she's on the front line to prevent other children from contracting polio.
00:42I tell parents that refuse, you're committing an atrocity on your children.
00:49My parents and I think, had there been a vaccination campaign in my time, I would not have been helpless.
00:56Pakistan is one of only two countries where polio is yet to be eradicated.
01:02Some experts are calling for a rethink.
01:05Every child born should be registered. He should get all the vaccines before he's two years old.
01:14But efforts have been hindered by geography, public mistrust and security concerns.
01:20Polio is not just a problem here in Pakistan. The disease is still endemic in neighbouring Afghanistan
01:27and the porous border makes it difficult to keep cases contained.
01:31Senior officials at the WHO warn US funding cuts to foreign aid could have a devastating impact
01:38on Pakistan and Afghanistan's polio eradication programs.
01:42Global eradication efforts will lose $210 million this year.
01:47But officials in Pakistan aren't concerned.
01:50There is not much effect of this thing to our operational as we are doing already
01:59and we are committed and the government is committed.
02:03Despite some vaccine resistance in communities like hers, Sadia is hopeful soon Pakistan will be declared polio free.
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