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Globalization and Health
Published in: Globalization and Health 1/2016

Open Access 01-12-2016 | Review

Eradicating polio in Pakistan: an analysis of the challenges and solutions to this security and health issue

Authors: Shoaib Fahad Hussain, Peter Boyle, Preeti Patel, Richard Sullivan

Published in: Globalization and Health | Issue 1/2016

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Abstract

Since the launch of the Global Polio Eradication Initiative (GPEI) in 1988 the global incidence of poliomyelitis has fallen by nearly 99 %. From a situation where wild type poliovirus was endemic in 125 countries across five continents, transmission is now limited to regions of just three countries – Pakistan, Afghanistan and Nigeria. A sharp increase in Pakistan’s poliomyelitis cases in 2014 prompted the International Health Regulations Emergency Committee to declare the situation a ‘public health emergency of international concern’. Global polio eradication hinges on Pakistan’s ability to address the religious, political and socioeconomic barriers to immunisation; including discrepancies in vaccine coverage, a poor health infrastructure, and conflict in polio-endemic regions of the country. This analysis provides an overview of the GPEI, focusing on the historical and contemporary challenges facing Pakistan’s polio eradication programme and the impact of conflict and insecurity, and sheds light on strategies to combat vaccine hesitancy, engage local communities and build on recent progress towards polio eradication in Pakistan.
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Metadata
Title
Eradicating polio in Pakistan: an analysis of the challenges and solutions to this security and health issue
Authors
Shoaib Fahad Hussain
Peter Boyle
Preeti Patel
Richard Sullivan
Publication date
01-12-2016
Publisher
BioMed Central
Published in
Globalization and Health / Issue 1/2016
Electronic ISSN: 1744-8603
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1186/s12992-016-0195-3

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