WHO recommends travel restriction for Pakistani citizens without polio vaccination

WASHINGTON - The  World Health Organization (WHO) has recommended restricting at the point of departure, the international travel of any Pakistani citizen lacking documentation of appropriate polio vaccination.

The thirty-sixth meeting of the Emergency Committee under the International Health Regulations (2005) (IHR) on the international spread of poliovirus met under the chair of WHO Director-General and proposed strict measures.  

During the meeting on August 16th, the Emergency Committee reviewed the data on wild poliovirus (WPV1) and circulating vaccine-derived polioviruses (cVDPV) in the context of the global target of eradication of WPV and cessation of outbreaks of cVDPV2 by the end of 2023.  

The members also reviewed the progress of different countries including Pakistan and said for these countries, the polio vaccination documentation applies to international travelers from all points of departure, irrespective of the means of conveyance (road, air and / or sea).

The body recommended - different countries including Pakistan - to officially declare, if not already done, at the level of head of state or government, that the interruption of poliovirus transmission is a national public health emergency and implement all required measures for its eradication.

The body advised that Pakistan should also ensure that all residents and long­term visitors (> four weeks) of all ages receive a dose of bivalent oral poliovirus vaccine (bOPV) or inactivated poliovirus vaccine (IPV) between four weeks and 12 months before international travel.

The Emergency Committee also directed to ensure that those undertaking urgent travel (within four weeks), who have not received a dose of bOPV or IPV in the previous four weeks to 12 months, receive a dose of polio vaccine at least by the time of departure as this will be beneficial, particularly for frequent travelers.

The members also recommended further intensifying cross­border efforts by significantly improving coordination at the national, regional, and local levels to substantially increase vaccination coverage of travelers crossing the border and of high risk cross­border populations.

The members clarified that improved coordination of cross­border efforts should include closer supervision and monitoring of the quality of vaccination at border transit points, as well as tracking of the proportion of travelers that are identified as unvaccinated after they have crossed the border.

As far as the timeline for these restrictions is concerned, the body said these measures should stay intact until the following criteria have been met:

(i) At least six months have passed without new infections

(ii) There is documentation of the full application of high-quality eradication activities in all infected and high-risk areas.

It bears mentioning that Pakistan is amongst the very few countries that has not been able to eradicate the poliovirus despite efforts in this regard. There have been polio eradication campaigns in the country but miscreants and terrorists also target polio team, affecting the campaign.