LAHORE: Upset by repeated outbreaks of type 2 poliovirus resulting from vaccines in all provinces and troubling rise in cases of type 1 wild poliovirus (WP1), the World Health Organization (WHO) has screwed Pakistan by increasing the country’s travel restrictions for another three months.
The decision to extend the ban on travel was made on the advice of the International Health Regulations Emergency Committee (IHR) and forwarded to Islamabad a few days ago. The WHO has suggested immediate actions to update the entire policy of Pakistan’s anti-polio program.
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Pakistan reported 134 cases of wild poliovirus in 2019 and this figure in the country was only 12 in 2018, the situation in Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa was worse for reporting a huge number of missed out children in polio vaccination.
The WHO expressed deep concern about the miserable state of affairs. “The improvement made over the past three years seems to have changed, with the committee’s estimate that the international spread risk has been at its peak since 2014.”
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The state would provide travelers with an International Certificate of Vaccine or Prophylaxis in the form defined by the IHR to record their vaccine against polio and act as evidence of vaccination. For lack of adequate evidence of polio vaccination, the citizen would not be allowed to travel abroad.
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