Saudi Arabia Requires Polio Vaccination Certificate for Travelers from Pakistan

Saudi Arabia Requires Polio Vaccination Certificate for Travelers from Pakistan, Threatens Severe Penalties for Non-compliance

KARACHI: Saudi Arabia has introduced new travel requirements for Pakistani nationals, making the polio vaccination certificate mandatory for all travelers heading to the Kingdom. The policy, which also applies to individuals traveling from Afghanistan, Kenya, Congo, and Mozambique, has been enforced by the General Authority of Civil Aviation (GACA), which warned of legal action and severe penalties for those who fail to comply.

However, travelers transiting through these countries who do not leave the transit area within 12 hours will be exempt from the vaccine requirement.

This directive is part of the Kingdom's ongoing efforts to control the spread of polio, as Pakistan remains one of the last two polio-endemic countries in the world, alongside Afghanistan. In 2024, 69 cases of polio were reported in Pakistan, with Balochistan being the most severely affected province, recording 27 cases. Other provinces, such as Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Sindh, reported 21 and 19 cases, respectively.

The Polio Eradication Programme in Pakistan emphasizes that polio is a paralysing disease with no cure, and vaccination remains the best preventive measure, providing children under five with high immunity against the disease.

Despite efforts to eradicate polio, challenges such as insecurity, misinformation, and parental refusals have slowed vaccination campaigns. In 2024, over 60% of polio cases occurred in children who had not received routine immunizations, prompting health authorities to form a committee for improved coordination between the Polio Eradication Initiative (PEI) and the Expanded Programme on Immunisation (EPI).

In a related development, 51 deported Pakistanis returned to Karachi from seven countries in the last 24 hours, with 30 passengers offloaded from international flights at Jinnah International Airport due to issues with travel documents or irregularities. The deportees primarily returned from Saudi Arabia, Iraq, the UAE, and the UK.