Pakistan launches fresh polio drive

Pakistan Monday launched a fresh drive to vaccinate more than 700,000 children in its restive tribal belt against polio, but officials said nearly 300,000 others would miss out because of threats from militants. The World Health Organisation declared a global ‘public health emergency’ in early May after new polio cases began surfacing and spreading across borders from countries including Pakistan. It is one of only three countries, along with Afghanistan and Nigeria, where the crippling disease remains endemic. ‘A four-day vaccination drive began on Monday to administer polio drops to children in tribal regions,’ senior campaign official Ikhtiar Ali said, according to AFP.