Virus can spread: Polio on rise in Pakistan, Afghanistan

PARIS: Conflict in Afghanistan and vaccination problems in Pakistan have led to a rise in polio cases there, imperiling efforts to wipe out the disease worldwide, a study said Wednesday.

Last year, Pakistan reported the highest number of polio cases in a decade, 198 in total, compared to 144 in 2010, while Afghanistan had 81 cases – up from 30 the year before.

“The eradication of poliomyelitis in parts of Pakistan and Afghanistan has been complicated by armed conflict, security concerns, cultural barriers,” Philip Minor of the British National Institute of Biological Standards and Control, in a comment published with the study, warned.

Published in The Express Tribune, July 5^th, 2012.