ISLAMABAD – The Egyptian government has made it mandatory for travelers from Pakistan, Afghanistan, and other countries to provide a polio vaccination certificate in order to get entry permission.
“As informed by the Egyptian Authorities, passengers travelling to Egypt from Pakistan, Afghanistan, Malawi, Mozambique and Congo are requested to provide an international certificate of vaccination specifically polio vaccine, OPV or IPV (both are acceptable),” Pakistan Civil Aviation Authority (PCAA) said in an advisory issued on its website on Monday.
The Egyptian authorities said the foreign nationals, who have stayed for over four weeks in the said countries will also require to polio vaccination in order to travel to the country.
The development comes weeks after the International Health Regulations’ (2005) Emergency Committee, responsible for assessing global poliovirus spread, raised concerns over Pakistan’s immunization campaigns to vaccinate children against the crippling disease.
In a meeting organized by the World Health Organisation (WHO) last month, the committee pointed out the gaps in efforts being conducted by Pakistan and Afghanistan to eliminate polio.
It highlighted that recent favorable environmental samples from Peshawar and Karachi shows the persistent risk of a polio outbreak in the South Asian country.
