WHO extends travel curbs to Pakistan as polio endemic country

ANI
26 Nov 2021, 11:37 GMT+10

Geneva [Switzerland], November 26 (ANI): The World Health Organization (WHO) has extended travel restrictions to Pakistan for another three months as polio-endemic country.

The UN agency extended travel restrictions on the South Asian country by three months due to it being listed among the last polio-endemic countries, Daily Pakistan reported.

The 30th Polio IHR Emergency Committee noted the completion of the surveillance review in Pakistan which found a high likelihood that the current wild poliovirus (WPV1) detection is valid.

"The key challenge in Pakistan remains the 'persistently missed children' in the core reservoirs regarding which progress is being made through innovative approaches such as deploying evening vaccination teams, health camps, tracking of missed and not available children after the SIA is completed, dealing with refusals before the campaign starts and using pro-vaccination influencers," WHO said.

Aside from Pakistan, the UN committee stated that Afghanistan failed to eradicate polio fully and may be responsible for the virus's global spread.

The thirtieth meeting of the Emergency Committee under the International Health Regulations (2005) (IHR) on the international spread of poliovirus was convened by the WHO Director-General on November 3 with committee members and advisers attending via video conference, supported by the WHO Secretariat.

The Emergency Committee reviewed the data on wild poliovirus (WPV1) and circulating vaccine derived polioviruses (cVDPV). Technical updates were received about the situation in the following State Parties: Afghanistan, China, Guinea Bissau, Mauritania, Nigeria, Pakistan, Senegal and Ukraine. (ANI)

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