ISLAMABAD (AP) — Pakistan will require all travelers leaving the country to obtain a polio vaccination from June 1, 2014, the health ministry said Tuesday.
A statement from the ministry said the restrictions comply with a decision by the World Health Organization advising travelers of all ages to be vaccinated by next month.
It says all provinces have been provided necessary guidance and material to set up special counters at hospitals and airports for polio vaccination and certification.
The ministry spokesman Sajid Shah says pregnant women traveling abroad are not exempted from the restrictions and the vaccination is not injurious for them.
The WHO has declared the spread of polio an international public health emergency and identified Pakistan, Syria and Cameroon as having allowed the virus to spread beyond their borders.
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