ISLAMABAD: The relaxation extended to Pakistan by the World Health Organization (WHO) has expired. From June 1, all Pakistanis travelling abroad will be required to present a polio vaccination certificate at the time of departure.

The grace period was requested by the Ministry of National Health Services (NHS), which asked WHO to give Pakistan time to prepare itself for the vaccination regime before making it mandatory for all international travellers.

However, those proceeding abroad are still confused and have been worrying about the vaccination certificate just as much as they worry about acquiring visas or buying tickets.

The polio virus, which had once been thought to be eradicated, is still present in as many as 10 countries the world over. But Pakistan is among only three countries which are ‘exporting’ the virus across international borders. Cameroon and Syria are the other two countries.

All Pakistanis travelling abroad must show vaccination certificate from now on

On May 5, WHO declared it mandatory for Pakistanis, and the citizens of the other two countries, to receive at least one dose of anti-polio vaccine before travelling abroad. Moreover, the government was suggested to issue polio certificates to the travellers.

This decision was made to avoid any risk of transferring the virus to other countries.

NHS ministry demanded relaxation to complete the arrangements and gave assurance to the WHO that from June 1, polio vaccination will be declared mandatory and international travellers will not be allowed to move out of Pakistan without polio certificates. At the moment, polio vaccination certificates are being issued from government hospital and international airports all over the country.

Islamabad-resident Muhammad Naeem, who is going to Abu Dhabi on Monday, received his certificate after getting vaccinated last week. Still, he is worried whether this certificate will be accepted at Abu Dhabi airport.

“At foreign international airports, authorities verify the visa of the passengers. I am concerned whether they will verify the vaccination certificate. I doubt that certificates can be verified at airports of other countries, because this information is not available on any website,” he said.

“Almost every day I hear that people are arrested inside and outside the country for having fake visas and other counterfeit travelling documents. What will happen if someone asks for the verification of my polio certificate,” he questioned.

Naeem is not the only one who is worried about the certificate and its verification process.

Malik Meraj Khalid, a travel agent, told Dawn that most of the people ask whether the certificate will be demanded at the time of entry in other countries or not.

“We have been telling them that certificates will be verified at the time of departure from Pakistan and no one will check them while entering other countries. Some people ask whether they will be allowed to return to Pakistan if the certificate is misplaced during their stay abroad,” he said.

There is still confusion whether every important personality such as the president of Pakistan, prime minister, chief ministers, head of political parties and armed forces also require polio certificates.

On Saturday, WHO Country Head Dr Nema Abid visited the Polyclinic Hospital in Islamabad to obtain a polio vaccination certificate. The certificate was issued after he was administered the vaccine.

Dr Abid, while talking to Dawn, said that it is the obligation of the government of Pakistan to vaccinate every citizen who wants to travel abroad. Other countries might not stop them at their airports because the travel advisory is for three countries only, and not for the polio-free states.

“It is difficult to say whether the WHO is satisfied with the steps taken, but I can see that the commitment by the government is visible,” he said.

NHS Minister Ms Saira Afzal Tarar said that as many as one million certificates have been handed over to the provinces, with an instruction to ensure that every person travelling abroad would be vaccinated.

“Vaccination centres have been opened at all international airports while government hospitals are also issuing the certificates. The government is doing all the efforts to eliminate polio from Pakistan,” she said.

Published in Dawn, June 2nd, 2014