Pakistan asks WHO for 15-day grace period on polio

Pakistani officials and WHO held an emergency meeting to discuss the impact of the global health agency's advisory for travel ban on the country over a polio vaccination row.

The government has decided to ask the World Health Organization to assist Pakistan with the procurement of polio vaccine and that the country be allowed at least two weeks' "grace period" to put its own mechanisms in place before the restrictions are enforced on the country's travellers, Dawn online reported.

A WHO report said the polio virus was being exported from three countries -- Pakistan, Cameroon and Syria.

The organization declared it mandatory for people from these countries to receive the polio vaccine before they are allowed to go abroad.

An official at the meeting told the newspaper that one of the first questions posed to Nima Saeed Abid, WHO country director, was when these restrictions would come into force.

"He (Abid) told the participants that the restrictions came into effect on the day of the announcement, i.e. May 5. He was then requested to talk to WHO headquarters in Geneva for a 15-day relaxation," the official was quoted as saying.

"Saeed Abid assured the meeting that he would do all that he could to secure the 15-day relaxation. The WHO country head also praised Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif for what he referred to as 'implementing WHO restrictions in Punjab', which was 62 percent of Pakistan, within 24 hours," he added.

A WHO official told the newspaper that his team would press Geneva to grant the government's request for a 15-day grace period.

"This request will hopefully be approved, with certain conditions. For example, one of the conditions may be that the head of state must declare a national public health emergency and establish immunisation counters as soon as possible," the official said.