WHO Extends Travel Restrictions on Pakistan Amid Rising Polio Concerns

The World Health Organization (WHO) has extended international travel restrictions on Pakistan for an additional three months due to ongoing concerns over the spread of poliovirus. The decision was made during the 41st meeting of the WHO Emergency Committee, held virtually on March 6, with participation from health officials of polio-affected countries.

The committee reviewed the global status of poliovirus transmission and closely assessed the situation in Pakistan. Despite significant efforts by Pakistani authorities to eliminate the disease, the country remains one of the few in the world where polio continues to circulate.

According to the committee’s findings, Pakistan and Afghanistan remain key contributors to the international spread of the poliovirus, posing a challenge to global eradication goals. While the WHO acknowledged improvements in Pakistan’s immunization campaigns and expressed confidence in the country’s national-level efforts, it emphasized that substantial gaps remain at the provincial and district levels.

A sharp rise in environmental detections of the virus has raised alarm. Between 2023 and 2024, the number of polio-positive environmental samples in Pakistan increased more than twelvefold. So far in 2025, authorities have detected 628 positive samples from various regions, indicating continued transmission of the wild poliovirus type 1 (WPV1).

The YB3A4A B-cluster strain of the virus is currently active, particularly in the provinces of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Sindh, and Balochistan. Major urban centers like Karachi, Peshawar, and Quetta have emerged as key hotspots, with the virus also being reported in new districts.

The continued presence of the virus in these areas underscores the need for intensified and coordinated efforts at all levels of governance to ensure eradication. WHO’s extended travel advisory for Pakistan requires travelers to receive polio vaccinations before international departure to help prevent cross-border transmission.