Polio vaccination made mandatory for birth, marriage and death certificates

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) obtaining official birth, marriage and death certificates is now contingent upon polio vaccination.

This step has been introduced to ensure widespread immunization in the region.

The Deputy Commissioner of Peshawar has issued directives across seven tehsils mandating the inclusion of a vaccination verification certificate from the district health office as a prerequisite for these documents.

The measure aims to counter resistance among parents who refuse to vaccinate their children.

According to health authorities Pakistan has reported 63 polio cases this year. Among these the highest number 26 cases has emerged from Balochistan followed by 18 from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa 17 from Sindh and one each from Punjab and Islamabad.

Over the past decade the country has recorded 411 cases highlighting challenges in the polio eradication campaign.

Alarmingly Khyber Pakhtunkhwa accounts for half of these cases with 207 reported from the province. Sindh reported 92 cases Balochistan 80 and Punjab 30 while Gilgit-Baltistan and Islamabad reported one each. Notably no cases were reported from Azad Jammu and Kashmir during this period.

Health officials emphasise that the decision to link essential documents to vaccination is a necessary step to address resistance and improve the efficacy of the polio eradication drive.

Anti-polio drive

Earlier, PM Shehbaz Sharif launched the anti-polio drive by administering polio drops to children under five years of age, emphasising the government’s commitment to completely eradicate virus from Pakistan.