ISLAMABAD: Pakistan on Saturday reported another case of polio virus that took the nationwide count to 48 this year, the country’s polio program said.
The regional laboratory for polio eradication at the National Institute of Health Islamabad has confirmed the Wild Poliovirus Type-1 (WPV1) in a male child from Dera Ismail Khan district of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) province.
Dera Ismail Khan is among the polio-endemic districts in southern KP and this is the third polio case from the district this year, according to the Pakistan polio program.
“Genetic sequencing of the samples collected from the child is under process,” the polio program said in a statement.
So far, 23 cases have been reported in Balochistan, 13 in Sindh, 10 in KP and one each in Punjab and the federal capital of Islamabad.
“The oral polio vaccine is essential to keep children protected from disability from a polio infection,” the statement read.
“We urge parents across the country to ensure multiple doses of the oral polio vaccine for all children under five in their care and ensure that their routine vaccination doses are also complete.”
Pakistan and Afghanistan are the only two countries where polio remains an endemic. Since late 2018, Pakistan has seen a resurgence of cases and increased spread of poliovirus, highlighting the fragility of gains achieved in the preceding three years.
48th case of polio reported this year amid deepening Pakistan virus crisis
https://arab.news/6bjdb
48th case of polio reported this year amid deepening Pakistan virus crisis
- The wild poliovirus type-1 was detected in a male child in Dera Ismail Khan district of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province
- This year, 23 cases have been reported in Balochistan, 13 in Sindh, 10 in KP and one each in Punjab and Islamabad
Pakistan to export halal meat worth $14.5 million to Tajikistan
- Effective trade facilitation can increase bilateral Pakistan-Tajikistan trade to $300 million, says state media
- PM Shehbaz Sharif approved Pakistan’s halal meat policy earlier this month in bid to boost meat exports
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan will export 143,000 tons of halal meat to Tajikistan worth $14.5 million in the near future, state media reported on Tuesday amid Islamabad’s efforts to bolster trade with Central Asian countries.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, earlier this month, approved Pakistan’s halal meat policy that aims to boost Islamabad’s meat exports to Muslim states.
In a high-level meeting on Dec. 24, Federal Minister for Food Security Rana Tanveer Hussain said Malaysia, Saudi Arabia, Iran and other Gulf countries are ready to import Pakistani fresh meat and rice. The minister said Tajikistan has expressed the demand to import nearly 100,000 tons of meat from Pakistan.
“According to details, Pakistan will export one hundred and forty-three thousand tons of halal meat to Tajikistan, valued at 14.5 million dollars,” state broadcaster Radio Pakistan reported.
It did not, however, specify a timeline as to when Islamabad planned to export the halal meat items to the Central Asian nation.
The state media said that effective trade facilitation will increase bilateral trade between Pakistan and Tajikistan to $300 million, strengthening regional economic integration.
Pakistan has recently attempted to increase its halal meat exports to other Muslim countries such as Malaysia. Both countries announced they had agreed to a $200 million halal meat trade quota during Sharif’s visit to Malaysia in October.
A 2024 report by the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics (PBS) mentioned that the country exported meat worth $512 million in 2024, which included beef, mutton and poultry.
According to the PBS, the UAE remained Pakistan’s top meat export market in 2024 with exports to the Gulf nation reaching $201 million. Meanwhile, meat exports to Saudi Arabia recorded a growth of 65.1 percent last year valued at $141 million.
