Pakistani officials say some 250,000 children in the country’s northwest will likely not receive life-saving polio vaccinations due to threats from militants. A three-day national anti-polio campaign is set to begin Monday. Last month, a militant group warned anti-polio medical teams to stay away or “face consequences.” Militants allege the effort is being used to […]
Pakistan: Militant Threat to Prevent Children From Receiving Vaccination
Posted July 13th, 2012 at 6:00 pm (UTC-5)
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Pakistan: Militants Threaten to Prevent 250,000 Children From Receiving Polio Vaccination
Posted July 13th, 2012 at 12:50 pm (UTC-5)
Pakistani officials say some 250,000 children in the country’s northwest will likely not receive life-saving polio vaccinations due to threats from militants. The social affairs secretary for Pakistan’s Federally Administered Tribal Areas, Aftab Akbar Durrani, told VOA’s Urdu Service on Friday that roughly 150,000 children in North Waziristan and 100,000 in South Waziristan are at […]
Militants Ban Polio Vaccination in NW Pakistan
Posted June 16th, 2012 at 5:00 pm (UTC-5)
A militant group based in northwestern Pakistan has banned an anti-polio campaign in a tribal region and warned medical teams to stay away from the territory or face consequences. The group, based in North Waziristan and led by Hafiz Gul Bahadur, said in a statement Saturday the ban will remain in effect as long as […]
Polio Constitutional Debate Brews in Nigeria
Posted February 29th, 2012 at 3:20 pm (UTC-5)
A constitutional debate is under way in Nigeria over whether the government can prosecute parents who refuse to have their children vaccinated against polio, or if it has the power to force parents to have their children vaccinated against any communicable disease. The debate comes on the heels of a resolution by the government of […]
India Removed from WHO’s Polio Endemic List
Posted February 25th, 2012 at 5:30 am (UTC-5)
The World Health Organization has removed India from the list of polio endemic countries. India’s health minister says WHO removed India from the list Saturday after the country passed one year without registering any new polio cases. India must go another two years without new cases to be declared polio-free. Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said […]
Karzai Urges Afghan Militants to Allow Polio Vaccination
Posted January 17th, 2012 at 8:40 am (UTC-5)
Afghan President Hamid Karzai is urging militants to allow health teams to vaccinate children against polio, after his government said the number of cases of the disease in the country had sharply increased. Mr. Karzai’s office said Tuesday that the latest Health Ministry report shows a three-fold rise in the number of polio cases last […]
India Marks a Polio-Free Year
Posted January 13th, 2012 at 4:55 am (UTC-5)
India marked a year Friday since its last new case of polio, a major victory in the global effort to eradicate the disease. If no previously undisclosed cases are uncovered in the coming weeks, India will be removed from the list of countries where the crippling disease is endemic. Polio remains a threat in Afghanistan, […]
India Marks Milestone in Fight Against Polio
Posted January 12th, 2012 at 9:05 am (UTC-5)
The World Health Organization says India on Friday will have gone one year without a reported case of polio for the first time in the country’s history. WHO official Sona Bari welcomed the milestone, but said Thursday it is only the start of a process. She said the next few weeks will be critical as […]
Officials: India Close to Wiping Out Polio
Posted October 24th, 2011 at 8:45 am (UTC-5)
Indian health officials say the country is on the verge of eradicating polio, with no cases reported there in more than nine months. Indian officials said Monday the last new case was reported in January in West Bengal state. According to the World Health Organization, a country is declared polio free when no cases are […]
India Close to Wiping Out Polio
Posted October 24th, 2011 at 4:15 am (UTC-5)
Monday marks World Polio Day, a day to spotlight the importance of global eradication of polio. Health officials in India announced Monday there has been no detection of polio in the country for nine months, India’s longest polio-free period since eradication efforts began. Indian health officials say the last new case was reported in January […]
