ISLAMABAD, March 22: Pakistan is moving fast on attaining the status of polio-free country as only five cases of polio have been reported during the current year against over 100 last year, said Dr Hussein A. Gezairy , Director WHO eastern Mediterranean region, here on Monday.

He said the cases were reported from cities like Muzaffargarh, Faisalabad, Peshawar and Nowshera while a sixth case was yet to be confirmed.

Speaking at a press conference both Mr Gezairy and Health Minister Mohammad Nasir Khan said the data and introduction of aggressive new programmes presented an unprecedented opportunity to eradicate the menace at the end of 2004.

"Things are becoming better as efforts are being intensified in Pakistan through national immunization days to completely wipe out this disease," he said, adding that in 1998, 15,000 polio cases had been reported in the country.

"It is my strong belief that the continuation of strong commitment of the government will ensure early achievement of the task of eradicating polio," the minister said.

He said taking advantage of the presence of Indian cricket team in the country, Indian batsman V.V.S. Laxman and Pakistan's fast bowler Shoaib Akhter were requested to record messages against HIV/AIDS, to which they agreed.

He said the health ministry also intended to involve legislators in all the health programmes irrespective of party affiliation. "Parliamentarians will be requested to provide support and own polio campaigns while the district administration and local leaders will be asked to regularly assess the implementation of the programme."

A sense will be developed among them to realize that as long as a single child remains infected with polio virus, all children in Pakistan will be at the risk of contacting the disease, he said, adding that since Pakistan was in the phase of last push to eradicate the disease, a nationwide awareness drive would be launched for making Pakistan a polio-free country.

The parliamentarians would also be encouraged to lead movements for the implementation of high quality anti-polio campaigns in their respective constituencies, Mr Khan said.

He said both President Pervez Musharraf and Prime Minister Mir Zafarullah Jamali were personally monitoring the progress while a cell was likely to be established in the President's House in this regard.

Dr Gezairy said polio would be the third after smallpox and guinea worm disease to be eradicated from Pakistan. "An important lesson to be learnt is that the intensity and quality of anti- polio campaigns should be maintained," he observed.

He said 191 countries were supporting the initiative of polio eradication due to which the incidents of the disease had been confined to six nations - Pakistan, Afghanistan, India, Nigeria, Niger and Egypt.

The minister also announced to relaunch campaigns against spurious, expired drugs and tobacco, adding that the upcoming SAF games would be tobacco free.