Polio vaccination must for Pakistani nationals traveling to THIS country

KARACHI: Pakistani travelers heading to Saudi Arabia will now be required to provide proof of polio vaccination, as mandated by the Saudi Civil Aviation Authority, ARY News reported.

According to Saudi General Authority of Civil Aviation (GACA), this new regulation applies to travelers from Pakistan, Afghanistan, Nigeria, Somalia, and other countries.

Travelers must obtain a polio vaccination certificate or an inactivated poliovirus vaccine certificate at least four weeks prior to their arrival in Saudi Arabia. However, those in transit who complete their journey within 12 hours and remain within the transit area will be exempt from this requirement.

Airlines have been instructed to thoroughly verify the vaccination certificates of travelers arriving from Pakistan, Afghanistan, Nigeria, and Mozambique. Failure to comply with these regulations will result in legal action and severe penalties against those responsible.

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The new rule came after Pakistan reported its first polio case of the year 2025 as a girl from Khyber Pakhtukhwa’s Tank district has been affected by the virus.

The 13-month-old girl, who showed symptoms of polio on November 25, has been confirmed with Wild poliovirus type 1.

It may be noted here that Pakistan reported 68 polio cases in 2024 with 21 from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. Meanwhile, Balochistan reported 27 polio cases, Sindh 19 cases while Punjab and Islamabad had each reported one case last year.

POLIO: Symptoms and risk

Polio is a highly infectious disease caused by a virus. It invades the nervous system and can cause total paralysis in a matter of hours.

The virus is transmitted by person-to-person spread mainly through the faecal-oral route or, less frequently, by a common vehicle (for example, contaminated water or food) and multiplies in the intestine. Initial symptoms are fever, fatigue, headache, vomiting, stiffness of the neck and pain in the limbs.

One in 200 infections leads to irreversible paralysis (usually in the legs). Among those paralysed, 5–10% die when their breathing muscles become immobilized.

The disease mainly affects children under 5 years of age. However, anyone of any age who is unvaccinated can contract the disease.

There is no cure for the crippling disease, it can only be prevented. Polio vaccine, given multiple times, can protect a child for life.

There are two vaccines available, oral polio vaccine and inactivated polio vaccine. Both are effective and safe, and both are used in different combinations worldwide, depending on local epidemiological and programmatic circumstances, to ensure the best possible protection to populations can be provided.