Pakistan to plan 'comprehensive plan' against Polio

Islamabad/ Lahore, May 08 (ANI): Pakistan scrambled to put in place measures to help stop its polio outbreak from spreading, after a World Health Organisation (WHO) warning that the disease had become endemic in three countries, including Pakistan. On Monday (May 05), WHO declared the spread of polio an international public health emergency and recommended that the governments of Pakistan, Syria and Cameroon require citizens to obtain a certificate proving they have been vaccinated for polio before travelling abroad. Speaking to reporters after a flurry of meetings between health officials from across the country, Minister of State for Health, Saira Afzal Tarar, said the restrictions were a great setback for the crisis-ridden country, but the government would tackle the situation on a war footing.