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Islamabad: Citing ongoing worries about the spread of wild poliovirus type 1 (WPV1), the World Health Organization (WHO) has prolonged conditional foreign travel restrictions on Pakistan for an additional three months, according to ARY News.

On June 18, during the 42nd virtual meeting of the WHO Emergency Committee on Polio, the decision was taken. The worldwide expansion of WPV1, especially in Pakistan and Afghanistan, which were highlighted as continuous international transmission hazards, was the main topic of the conference, which featured representatives from countries afflicted by polio, according to ARY News.

The WHO voiced concerns about the ongoing cross-border spread of WPV1, particularly in places where the virus is still common, including southern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Quetta Block, southern Afghanistan, Karachi, and Peshawar.

The WHO emphasized the increase in polio-positive sewage samples across Pakistan and said that “the spread of WPV1 is facilitated by cross-border travel and the movement of displaced populations,” according to ARY News. KP, Sindh, Balochistan, and the central regions of the nation continue to be polio hotspots, with the virus’s strongholds being in Karachi, Peshawar, and Quetta Block.

Concerns over a recent polio case in Gilgit-Baltistan and the rising number of children who are not receiving vaccines, which makes eradication efforts even more difficult, were also brought up by the committee.

The WHO praised Pakistan’s continued efforts but acknowledged that the 2025 polio eradication aim is unlikely to be realized under present circumstances. “The organization expressed satisfaction with Pakistan’s polio eradication efforts and confidence in the quality of its vaccination campaigns,” according to ARY News.

With successful provincial and regional campaigns in progress, Pakistan’s prime minister and his team received recognition for their dedication.

The WHO called for continuous collaborative vaccination campaigns and improved monitoring systems as part of their ongoing bilateral engagement with Afghanistan in the fight against the virus.

All outgoing tourists will still be required to get vaccines during the three months that Pakistan will maintain its polio monitoring. At the conclusion of this time, the WHO will reevaluate the situation and Pakistan’s polio eradication efforts, ARY News said.