The Indian High Commission in Pakistan has issued an advisory on Wednesday that all adults and children travelling to India from Pakistan after January 30, 2014 are required to obtain Oral Polio Vaccination (OPV) at least six weeks prior to their departure to India, but not more than one year before the date of travel.
A statement said that travellers from Pakistan to India after January 30, 2014 are required to carry their vaccination record as evidence of polio vaccination and it will be requested for entry into India thereafter. Record for administering OPV may be obtained from an authorised medical centre in the format laid out in the World Health Organisation’s International Health Regulations 2005 International Certificate of Vaccination (http://who.int/ihr/IVC-06-26.pdf)
Once administered OPV remains effective for one year, after which the vaccination should be taken again. The step is being taken to safeguard India’s polio-free status attained after sustained efforts and investment, the statement said. It is applicable to all travellers from all countries, where polio disease is endemic or where cases of polio are reported. It is also applicable to Indian nationals travelling to and from these countries.
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Pakistan is one of the three countries in the world, where polio is endemic and recently a polio outbreak in Syria was traced back to Pakistan.