3,70,000 kids may miss Pak polio drive

Islamabad : Nearly 370,000 children in Pakistan’s tribal region are likely to miss out on a polio vaccination drive as security problems hinders the campaign aimed at eradicating the crippling disease, officials said. The troubled region comprising seven districts along the Afghan border is the epicentre of Pakistan’s war against the disease which brought international humiliation earlier this month when the WHO imposed travel restrictions on the country. After the World Health Organisation restrictions, from June 1, every Pakistan going abroad will have to produce a certificate of having received anti-polio vaccine. In May, the WHO declared a global “public health emergency” after new polio cases surfaced in Pakistan.