The regulation was signed final week and can come into power this month.
As per the brand new regulation launched in Sindh province, mother and father in Pakistan who refuse to vaccinate their youngsters in opposition to infectious ailments may very well be jailed or fined.
In accordance with a report by The Guardian, the introduction of the laws is an try to eradicate polio, which is endemic in Pakistan. Nonetheless, it’s going to cowl vaccines for diphtheria, tetanus, whooping cough (pertussis), measles, mumps and rubella.
Mother and father who refuse to get their youngsters vaccinated may very well be sentenced to a month in jail and fined 50,000 Pakistani rupees (Rs 13, 487).
The media outlet reported that the regulation was signed final week and can come into power this month.
Shazia Marri, a former federal minister of poverty alleviation and social security from Sindh advised The Guardian, “This regulation can be used as a deterrent to finish the refusal of vaccination. There have to be extraordinary measures to make sure this virus [polio] is eradicated from Pakistan.”
“There are a number of causes that this virus nonetheless stays endemic in our nation and we have to handle all such causes,” she stated.
In accordance with a report by WHO, Pakistan reported two wild polio instances in 2023, in contrast with 20 in 2022.
Pakistan and Afghanistan are the one nations the place polio is endemic.
Anti-vaccination sentiment in Pakistan is deeply rooted. There are myths that say the polio vaccination drive is a entrance for espionage or a conspiracy to sterilise Muslims.