---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: We have two other countries, Pakistan and…"
description: "\"We have two other countries, Pakistan and Afghanistan - again it's the instability that is a problem there. So over the next several years, we expect t..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/eed/bill-gates-137_afghanistan_we-have-two-other-countries-pakistan-and_978741.jpg"
---

#  We have two other countries, Pakistan and Afghanistan…

![“We have two other countries, Pakistan and Afghanistan - again it's the instability that is a problem there. So over the next several years, we expect to drive the number of &#91;polio&#93; cases back down to zero because that is likely to be the second disease after smallpox that we completely eradicate.” quote by Bill Gates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/eed/bill-gates-137_afghanistan_we-have-two-other-countries-pakistan-and_978741.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/eed/bill-gates-137_afghanistan_we-have-two-other-countries-pakistan-and_978741.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/eed/bill-gates-137_afghanistan_we-have-two-other-countries-pakistan-and_978741.jpg)

> “We have two other countries, Pakistan and Afghanistan - again it's the instability that is a problem there. So over the next several years, we expect to drive the number of \[polio\] cases back down to zero because that is likely to be the second disease after smallpox that we completely eradicate.”

[Bill Gates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-gates/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

The speaker highlights instability in Pakistan and Afghanistan as a barrier to eradicating polio, but aims for zero cases, making polio the second disease after smallpox to be fully eliminated.

**In simple terms:** Instability hinders polio eradication; goal is zero cases.

Key Takeaway

Focus on stability and vaccination to eradicate polio.

Themes

global health vaccination political stability disease eradication

Mood

determined optimistic

Type

policy inspirational

When to use this quote

- government health campaigns
- NGO coordination
- community outreach
- conflict zones

Key Concepts

public health policy epidemiology geopolitics

Questions to Reflect On

- How can health initiatives succeed amid conflict?
- What strategies ensure vaccine coverage in unstable regions?

A Different Perspective

Political instability may disrupt vaccination efforts and data collection.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Afghanistan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/afghanistan/) [Country](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/country/) [Disease](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/disease/) [Instability](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/instability/) [Other countries](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/other-countries/) [Pakistan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pakistan/) [Problem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/problem/) [Smallpox](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/smallpox/)

## Related quotes

> [We have completely eradicated smallpox; we have almost eradicated polio. That's the miracle of vaccines, which is even greater than that of antibiotics.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-gates/we-have-completely-eradicated-smallpox-we-have-almost-eradicated/)

[Bill Gates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-gates/)

> [The failure to think positively can weigh on a cancer patient like a second disease.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-ehrenreich/the-failure-to-think-positively-can-weigh-on-a-cancer-patient-like-a/)

[Barbara Ehrenreich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-ehrenreich/)

> [“Nature: that lovely lady to whom we owe polio, leprosy, smallpox, syphilis, tuberculosis, cancer. ”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stanley-norman-cohen/nature-that-lovely-lady-to-whom-we-owe-polio-leprosy-smallpox/)

Stanley Norman Cohen

> [There are cases where government-to-government aid actually has worked. Look at the eradication of smallpox and the near eradication of polio. But these are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacqueline-novogratz/there-are-cases-where-government-to-government-aid-actually-has/)

[Jacqueline Novogratz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacqueline-novogratz/)

> [“Vaccination has made smallpox extinct in the wild, as well as rinderpest, a relative of measles that affects cattle and buffalo, among others. Poliomyelitis,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-von-csefalvay/vaccination-has-made-smallpox-extinct-in-the-wild-as-well-as/)

Chris von Csefalvay

> [If you think of global public goods like polio eradication, the kind of risk-taking new approach, philanthropy really does have a role to play…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-gates/if-you-think-of-global-public-goods-like-polio-eradication-the-kind/)

[Bill Gates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-gates/)

> [In most of these things our foundation is a co-funder, so I can say that a polio or an HIV vaccine, that I'm putting…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-gates/in-most-of-these-things-our-foundation-is-a-co-funder-so-i-can-say/)

[Bill Gates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-gates/)

> [I really do think cancer will largely be a solved problem. I think most of the infectious diseases like malaria - our foundation is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-gates/i-really-do-think-cancer-will-largely-be-a-solved-problem-i-think/)

[Bill Gates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-gates/)

> [With polio, we've gone several years with no polio in all of Africa, but now with this we're having to go and mop up…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-gates/with-polio-we-ve-gone-several-years-with-no-polio-in-all-of-africa/)

[Bill Gates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-gates/)

> [We're all responsible for creating a polio-free world while we still can.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-gates/we-re-all-responsible-for-creating-a-polio-free-world-while-we-still/)

[Bill Gates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-gates/)

> [If you withdraw the incredible focus on polio, it will spread back, and in poor countries you'll get something like 100,000 cases a year.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-gates/if-you-withdraw-the-incredible-focus-on-polio-it-will-spread-back-and/)

[Bill Gates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-gates/)

> [I don't think there is any philosophy that suggests having polio is a good thing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-gates/i-don-t-think-there-is-any-philosophy-that-suggests-having-polio-is-a/)

[Bill Gates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-gates/)

> [Polio's pretty special because once you get an eradication, you no longer have to spend money on it; it's just there as a gift…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-gates/polio-s-pretty-special-because-once-you-get-an-eradication-you-no/)

[Bill Gates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-gates/)

> [If somebody is working on a new medicine, computer science helps us model those things. We have a whole group here in Seattle called…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-gates/if-somebody-is-working-on-a-new-medicine-computer-science-helps-us/)

[Bill Gates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-gates/)

> [Ninety percent of the cases of polio are in security-vulnerable areas.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-gates/ninety-percent-of-the-cases-of-polio-are-in-security-vulnerable-areas/)

[Bill Gates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-gates/)

## More by Bill Gates

> [If you’re a person struggling to eat and stay healthy you might have heard about Michael Jordan or Muhammad Ali, but you’ll never have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-gates/if-you-re-a-person-struggling-to-eat-and-stay-healthy-you-might-have/)

[Bill Gates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-gates/)

> [I really had a lot of dreams when I was a kid, and I think a great deal of that grew out of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-gates/i-really-had-a-lot-of-dreams-when-i-was-a-kid-and-i-think-a-great/)

[Bill Gates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-gates/)

> [Understanding science and pushing the boundaries of science is what makes me immensely satisfied.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-gates/understanding-science-and-pushing-the-boundaries-of-science-is-what/)

[Bill Gates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-gates/)

> [We're focused on providing innovations in software, driving the continuous improvement for a much better experience, and there's a lot going on here that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-gates/we-re-focused-on-providing-innovations-in-software-driving-the/)

[Bill Gates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-gates/)

> [Paper is no longer a big part of my day. I get 90% of my news online, and when I go to a meeting…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-gates/paper-is-no-longer-a-big-part-of-my-day-i-get-90-of-my-news-online/)

[Bill Gates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-gates/)

> [Software will get to be somewhat more mature, ah, but it will never be as predictable as most areas of engineering.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-gates/software-will-get-to-be-somewhat-more-mature-ah-but-it-will-never-be/)

[Bill Gates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-gates/)

> [Students deserve great teachers. And teachers deserve the support they need to become great.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-gates/students-deserve-great-teachers-and-teachers-deserve-the-support-they/)

[Bill Gates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-gates/)

> [The machines need to get faster. They need to get cheaper.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-gates/the-machines-need-to-get-faster-they-need-to-get-cheaper/)

[Bill Gates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-gates/)

> [Like many others, I have deep misgivings about the state of education in the United States. Too many of our students fail to graduate…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-gates/like-many-others-i-have-deep-misgivings-about-the-state-of-education/)

[Bill Gates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-gates/)

> [Over time, yes, countries will need to look at specific GMO products like they look at drugs today, where they don't approve them all.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-gates/over-time-yes-countries-will-need-to-look-at-specific-gmo-products/)

[Bill Gates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-gates/)

> [Competition is always a fantastic thing, and the computer industry is intensely competitive.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-gates/competition-is-always-a-fantastic-thing-and-the-computer-industry-is/)

[Bill Gates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-gates/)

> [I don't think there's anything unique about human intellience. All the nuerons in the brain that make up perceptions and emotions operate in a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-gates/i-don-t-think-there-s-anything-unique-about-human-intellience-all-the/)

[Bill Gates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-gates/)

> [At every juncture, advanced tools have been the key to a new wave of applications, and each wave of applications has been key to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-gates/at-every-juncture-advanced-tools-have-been-the-key-to-a-new-wave-of/)

[Bill Gates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-gates/)

> [Software is more important than hardware.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-gates/software-is-more-important-than-hardware/)

[Bill Gates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-gates/)

> [Talking to mothers, always brings it home because they're so anxious to do everything they can for their kids and so tragic for them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-gates/talking-to-mothers-always-brings-it-home-because-they-re-so-anxious/)

[Bill Gates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-gates/)

[Explore all 1,165 Bill Gates quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-gates/)

## More Afghanistan quotes

> [The costs of the Bush-Obama wars in Iraq and Afghanistan are now estimated to run as high as $4.4 trillion - a major victory…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noam-chomsky/the-costs-of-the-bush-obama-wars-in-iraq-and-afghanistan-are-now/)

[Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noam-chomsky/)

> [From the bitter cold winter at Valley Forge, to the mountains of Afghanistan and the deserts of Iraq, our soldiers have courageously answered when…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/solomon-ortiz/from-the-bitter-cold-winter-at-valley-forge-to-the-mountains-of/)

[Solomon Ortiz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/solomon-ortiz/)

> [The rich people are apparently leaving America. They're giving up their citizenship. These great lovers of America who made their money in this country-when…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bernie-sanders/the-rich-people-are-apparently-leaving-america-they-re-giving-up/)

[Bernie Sanders](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bernie-sanders/)

> [They're criminals, they brutalized Afghanistan, they killed our people, they destroyed our land.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hamid-karzai/they-re-criminals-they-brutalized-afghanistan-they-killed-our-people/)

[Hamid Karzai](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hamid-karzai/)

> [In 2001, we were told that the war in Afghanistan was a feminist mission. The marines were liberating Afghan women from the Taliban. Can…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arundhati-roy/in-2001-we-were-told-that-the-war-in-afghanistan-was-a-feminist/)

[Arundhati Roy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arundhati-roy/)

> [The terrorist attacks of September 11th and the courageous actions of our armed forces in Afghanistan and Iraq remind us that friends of tyranny…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-levin/the-terrorist-attacks-of-september-11th-and-the-courageous-actions-of/)

[Carl Levin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-levin/)

> [According to a recent Harvard study, $6 trillion, when you include the ongoing healthcare expenses for our wounded soldiers, which is the least they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jill-stein/according-to-a-recent-harvard-study-6-trillion-when-you-include-the/)

[Jill Stein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jill-stein/)

> [You don't bargain with terrorists. You don't appease terrorists. And anybody who believes that this is about something we've done has to ask themselves…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-chertoff/you-don-t-bargain-with-terrorists-you-don-t-appease-terrorists-and/)

[Michael Chertoff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-chertoff/)

> [“I stood with my mom in the cemetery. She felt terrible pain. My grandmother is with God. My mom has to continue living. It’s…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tucker-elliot/i-stood-with-my-mom-in-the-cemetery-she-felt-terrible-pain-my/)

[Tucker Elliot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tucker-elliot/)

> [The most successful cultural diplomacy strategy integrates people-to-people or arts/culture/media-to-people interactions into the basic business of diplomacy. The programs in Afghanistan, Egypt, and Iran…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cynthia-p-schneider/the-most-successful-cultural-diplomacy-strategy-integrates-people-to/)

[Cynthia P. Schneider](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cynthia-p-schneider/)

> [Because Iran understands Afghanistan far better than Americans do, making Iran a partner in a long-term effort to transform Afghan agriculture makes sense.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-kinzer/because-iran-understands-afghanistan-far-better-than-americans-do/)

[Stephen Kinzer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-kinzer/)

> [Thousands of Americans have given their lives in Afghanistan and Iraq upholding their oaths and defending this nation. Chelsea Manning broke her oath and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-mccain/thousands-of-americans-have-given-their-lives-in-afghanistan-and-iraq/)

[John McCain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-mccain/)

> [I have been to Afghanistan many times, even before the Taliban collapsed. I was fascinated by the country.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kabir-khan/i-have-been-to-afghanistan-many-times-even-before-the-taliban/)

[Kabir Khan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kabir-khan/)

> [There has been sort of, if you will, a moral interventionism on the part of the United States trying to reshape countries in our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pat-buchanan/there-has-been-sort-of-if-you-will-a-moral-interventionism-on-the/)

[Pat Buchanan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pat-buchanan/)

> [The legal system in Afghanistan is very immature and porous.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lindsey-graham/the-legal-system-in-afghanistan-is-very-immature-and-porous/)

[Lindsey Graham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lindsey-graham/)

[Browse all 1,159 Afghanistan quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/afghanistan/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "We have two other countries, Pakistan and Afghanistan - again it's the instability that is a problem there. So over the next several years, we expect to drive the number of [polio] cases back down to zero because that is likely to be the second disease after smallpox that we completely eradicate.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Bill Gates"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-gates/we-have-two-other-countries-pakistan-and-afghanistan-again-it-s-the/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Afghanistan"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-gates/we-have-two-other-countries-pakistan-and-afghanistan-again-it-s-the/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/eed/bill-gates-137_afghanistan_we-have-two-other-countries-pakistan-and_978741.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/eed/bill-gates-137_afghanistan_we-have-two-other-countries-pakistan-and_978741.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/eed/bill-gates-137_afghanistan_we-have-two-other-countries-pakistan-and_978741.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“We have two other countries, Pakistan and Afghanistan - again it's the instability that is a problem there…” — Bill Gates",
                "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
                "creator": {
                    "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
                }
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "BreadcrumbList",
            "itemListElement": [
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 1,
                    "name": "Home",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 2,
                    "name": "Quotes",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 3,
                    "name": "Bill Gates",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-gates/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "We have two other countries, Pakistan...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-gates/we-have-two-other-countries-pakistan-and-afghanistan-again-it-s-the/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-gates/we-have-two-other-countries-pakistan-and-afghanistan-again-it-s-the/#breadcrumb"
        },
        {
            "@type": "WebSite",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "publisher": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "Organization",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "logo": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png",
                "width": 512,
                "height": 512
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
