Polio vaccination mandatory for foreign-bound Pakistani travellers from today
WHO recommended travel restrictions on Pakistan on May 5 due to the increase in crippling disease.
ISLAMABAD (Web Desk) – Polio vaccination certificates have become mandatory for travellers from Pakistan to foreign countries from today (Sunday).
According to Ministry of Health Services, provinces have been issued one million health certificates and district health officers, medical superintendents and EDO health are authorised officers for issuing polio certificates.
Polio counters have been setup at all the major government hospitals and airports. At airports officials from the Civil Aviation Authority and Health Ministry are authorised to issue vaccination certificates. It is mandatory to carry passports and present them at polio counters.
In Islamabad, polio cells have been formed at PIMS and Polyclinic hospitals.
Special counters have been setup at three airports of Balochistan for polio vaccination of Pakistanis planning to travel abroad.
The polio vaccination counters have been set up at Quetta, Gwadar and Turbat airports.
The WHO, on May 5, had imposed travel restrictions on Pakistan over its failure to control the spread of poliovirus. However, the federal government expressed its displeasure over this decision and informed the global health body that it was not prepared for it. Hence, the government had asked for time till June 1 (today) for the effective implementation of the IHR recommendation.
Polio usually strikes children under five and is often spread via infected water. There is no specific treatment or cure, but several vaccines exist.
Experts are particularly concerned the virus continues to pop up in countries previously free of the disease, such as Syria, Somalia and Iraq — where civil war or unrest complicates efforts to contain the virus.
