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Egypt makes polio certificate mandatory for Pakistan

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  • Egyptian authorities say OPV or IPV both certificates are acceptable.
  • WHO highlighted gaps in Pakistan, Afghanistan’s efforts to eliminate polio.
  • Environmental samples underscore risk of polio outbreak in Pakistan.

KARACHI: The Egyptian authorities have made it mandatory for travelers from Pakistan, Afghanistan, and other countries to provide a polio vaccination certificate.

“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’s Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) said in an advisory on its website on Monday.

It added that foreigners who have stayed more than four weeks in the above-mentioned countries are also required to provide polio vaccination in order to travel to Egypt.

Last month, the International Health Regulations’ (2005) Emergency Committee, responsible for assessing global poliovirus spread, expressed concerns over Pakistan’s efforts to reach a large number of children through its polio eradication campaign.

In a session convened by the World Health Organisation (WHO) director general on August 16, 2023, the committee highlighted the gaps in Pakistan and Afghanistan’s efforts to eliminate polio.

It emphasised that recent favorable environmental samples from Peshawar and Karachi underscore the persistent risk of a polio outbreak in Pakistan.

The committee highlighted that a new case of WPV1 emerged in Pakistan since the last meeting, bringing the 2023 total to two cases. Both instances occurred in the Bannu district of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) province. Throughout the year, at least 15 environmental surveillance-positive samples were identified.

“Although the action plan in southern KP has resulted in 160,000 more children being vaccinated, the context remains challenging — including political instability, insecurity in some areas with front-line workers requiring police patrols to accompany them and vaccination boycotts, where communities make demands for other services in exchange for allowing polio vaccination,” the committee further said.

Commenting on the emergency committee’s statement, Pakistan’s caretaker health minister Dr Nadeem Jan told The News that boosting routine immunisation and coverage of zero dose via outreach campaigns would help in polio eradication efforts in the country.

In Afghanistan, since the last meeting, there have been five new WPV1 cases reported, all from Nangarhar province, the emergency committee said adding that the cases occurred in five different districts and had onsets from April to May 2023.

“Any setback in Afghanistan poses a risk to the programme in Pakistan due to high population movement,” the emergency committee warned.

The committee further observed that in 2023, there were only two genetic clusters of WPV1 identified, compared to three in 2022 and five in 2021.

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Honours From The Families Of The Martyrs: September 1965’s Heroes Are Recalled

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Pakistan marks the anniversary of the day the Pakistani Army defeated an enemy attack and won a major victory on September 6. On this day of defence, the families of the war martyrs from 1965 offered their opinions:

The soldiers’ actions in demolishing enemy tanks with explosives and their bravery in the dark were commended by Shaheed Sepoy Muhammad Haleem’s brother. He gave the 1965 martyrs his respects.

The significance of Defence Day is remembered for the martyrs, as stressed by Shaheed Sepoy Shahid Ahmed’s uncle. The brother of Shaheed Sepoy Aftab Hussain offered gratitude to everyone who has given their life in defence of the nation.

In addition to emphasising the value of encouraging rather than criticising the troops, Shaheed Sepoy Wazir Ahmed’s brother praised the soldiers for foiling the enemy’s schemes.

Javed Ahmed, Shaheed Lance Naik’s cousin, emphasised September 6th’s significance as a day of victory.

In addition to expressing support for the Pakistani Army today, the brother of Shaheed Havaldar Shafiq reiterated their dedication to remembering the dead of September 6, 1965.

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The Finance Minister has pledged to attract foreign investments by creating an environment that is friendly to business.

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In a recent statement, Pakistan’s Minister of Finance Muhammad Aurangzeb reaffirmed the country’s unwavering dedication to luring international investments by preserving an atmosphere that is commercially encouraging.

A group of international investors, led by Amin Mohammad Khowaja, the Chief Executive Officer of J.P. Morgan Pakistan, had visited him in Islamabad. He was speaking with them.

Muhammad Aurangzeb also provided further information regarding the ambitious structural reforms program of the government. This agenda aims to strengthen the general macroeconomic stability by widening the tax base, rightsizing the public sector, promoting privatization, and reforming the energy sector.

The Minister of Finance emphasized the great achievements that Pakistan has made in strengthening its macroeconomic indicators, such as the increase in exports by 14 percent, the decrease in inflation to 9.6 percent, which is the lowest level in 34 months, and an overall decrease in the current account deficit among Pakistan’s economic indicators.

It was also brought to his attention that Pakistan’s sovereign credit ratings had improved, which is indicative of a stable and encouraging economic future. According to him, the rigorous fiscal discipline, inflation management, and favorable balance of payments that the country has are the pillars upon which the country’s economic prosperity.

In addition to expressing confidence regarding the potential for larger investment flows into Pakistan, the delegation praised the efforts that the government has made to establish an atmosphere that is conducive to business.

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Journalists require training. Media professionals who have received training can serve as ambassadors. Tarar

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According to Information Minister Atta Ullah Tarar, journalists must possess sufficient skills in order to serve as ambassadors for the country, particularly in the digital realm, to foster unity among people. This is a pressing requirement at present.

During an event in Islamabad focused on journalist training, Atta Ullah Tarrar, the Minister responsible for combating misinformation, stated his official role.

The Information Minister emphasized the indispensability of technology for achieving prosperity, and in line with this, the Government has implemented Pakistan’s inaugural digital land registry system.

Tarar stated that we have the privilege of initiating Pakistan’s inaugural safe city project.

Regarding verification and authentication, the Information Minister lamented the lack of a method to validate information.

According to the Information Minister, terrorist organizations are utilizing social media platforms. Additionally, the minister highlighted that the country’s economy is delicate, and the dissemination of a single false news item might result in significant economic losses for the nation.

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