Travel Restrictions On Pakistan Continue, WHO Terms Two Major Cities Risky

Islamabad: The World Health Organization (WHO) has extended a travel ban on Pakistan for another three months, underscoring the risk of a polio outbreak in the country, ARY News reported.

The decision was made during the WHO Emergency Committee meeting on International Health Regulations 2005, which aims to monitor the worldwide spread of the polio virus.

The Committee expressed concern about Pakistan’s efforts to eradicate polio by reaching large numbers of children. He also pointed to shortcomings in Pakistan and Afghanistan’s efforts to end polio, according to ARY News, a Pakistani television station.

Major Cities On Risk 

He pointed out that the risk of continued polio outbreaks in Pakistan is evident in recent favorable environmental trials conducted in Peshawar and Karachi.

The Committee noted that since the previous meeting, a new case of wild poliovirus type 1 (WP1) has been detected in Pakistan, bringing the total number of cases in 2023 to 2 cases. Both incidents occurred in Bannu district, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province (KP).

In Afghanistan, since the last meeting, five new cases of WPV1 have been reported, all from Nangarhar province, the emergency committee said.

Emergency Committee Warning 

The Emergency Committee has issued a warning that there is still a risk of re-emergence of WPV1 in the southern region due to continued transmission in eastern Afghanistan, cross-border expansion into Pakistan and a large number of unvaccinated people.

According to the WHO International Travel and Health report, all travelers should be fully vaccinated against polio.

Within 4 weeks to 12 months of travel, residents (and guests staying longer than 4 weeks) in affected areas should receive an additional dose of OPV or inactivated polio vaccine (IPV), ARY News reported.

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