WHO warns of Karachi polio surge, extends travel restrictions on Pakistan

ISLAMABAD: The World Health Organization (WHO) has decided to retain international travel restrictions on Pakistan, ARY News reported.

The WHO has extended its conditional travel restrictions for three months.

The spread of the poliovirus remains a threat to global public health, while the organization expressed grave concern over its continued transmission in Pakistan and Afghanistan.

The WHO noted that Pakistan and Afghanistan pose a risk to each other due to continuous cross-border movement, which remains a primary driver of the virus’s spread.

Transmission continues from Afghanistan into southern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) and the Quetta block.

Meanwhile, poliovirus transmission also persists across southern KP and Karachi.

Raising the alarm, the WHO stated that Karachi has become a major stronghold for the spread of the virus.

The organization emphasized the need for targeted anti-polio campaigns in the Central Pakistan block, southern KP, and the Quetta block.

The WHO also expressed deep concern over children missing out on polio drops, adding that vaccine refusal remains a significant hurdle to eradication efforts.

The WHO communiqué stated that due to security issues in KP, as many as 250,000 children have been deprived of the polio vaccine.