Al Mayadeen English

  • Ar
  • Es
  • x
Al Mayadeen English

Slogan

  • News
    • Politics
    • Economy
    • Sports
    • Arts&Culture
    • Health
    • Miscellaneous
    • Technology
    • Environment
  • Articles
    • Opinion
    • Analysis
    • Blog
    • Features
  • Videos
    • NewsFeed
    • Video Features
    • Explainers
    • TV
    • Digital Series
  • Infographs
  • In Pictures
  • • LIVE
News
  • Politics
  • Economy
  • Sports
  • Arts&Culture
  • Health
  • Miscellaneous
  • Technology
  • Environment
Articles
  • Opinion
  • Analysis
  • Blog
  • Features
Videos
  • NewsFeed
  • Video Features
  • Explainers
  • TV
  • Digital Series
Infographs
In Pictures
  • Africa
  • Asia
  • Asia-Pacific
  • Europe
  • Latin America
  • MENA
  • Palestine
  • US & Canada
BREAKING
Field sources in West Bank: Israeli bulldozers vandalize Palestinian lands northwest of Nablus.
Field sources in West Bank: Settlers attack Palestinian farmers harvesting olives in Nablus.
Field sources in West Bank: Armed Israeli settlers torch Palestinian vehicles near olive groves in Turmus Ayya north of Ramallah.
Israeli PM Office: Netanyahu has ordered that the Rafah crossing will not open until further notice.
Ambrey: Cameroon-flagged tanker issues distress call following explosion abroad, approximately 60NM south of Yemen's Ahwar.
Araghchi: Iran adopted a constructive approach in its engagement to ensure the European Union and the E3 fully honored their commitments and lifted all sanctions.
Araghchi: After a year of Iran’s full compliance with the agreement, it began implementing gradual, proportionate, and reversible compensatory steps in accordance with its recognized rights under the deal.
Araghchi: Iran demonstrated the utmost restraint in the face of repeated and fundamental violations and made extensive efforts to restore balance and preserve the agreement.
In his letter, Araghchi stated: The E3 failed to fulfill their obligations and instead imposed additional illegal sanctions on Iranian individuals and institutions.
Araghchi: These coercive measures constituted a grave violation of international law and the UN Charter, causing severe disruption in the implementation of the agreement.

Pakistan eyes jailing parents for failing to vaccinate children

  • By Al Mayadeen English
  • Source: Agencies
  • 1 Oct 2023 22:41
3 Min Read

Experts warn against the coercive measures that have been proposed by a local government in Pakistan, saying they would push back on advances made by health workers.

  • x
  • Pakistani authorities consider jailing parents over polio vaccination.
    A health worker administers a polio vaccine to a child in a neighborhood of Karachi, Pakistan, on June 19, 2023. (AP)

Local authorities in Pakistan are proposing that parents who do not vaccinate their children against Polio be put in prison, spurring fears among world health officials.

Earlier in August, the government of Sindh, a Pakistani province, proposed a bill that would see parents imprisoned for up to one month if they fail to immunize their children against polio or eight other common diseases.

The World Health Organization's polio director in the Eastern Mediterranean, Dr. Hamid Jafari warned that the law could have adverse effects.

"Coercion is counterproductive," stressed Dr. Jafari.

Experts say such a strategy would undermine the public's trust in the vaccination campaign, especially in Pakistan where conspiracies on polio vaccines are on the rise.

Jafari said workers have been gaining ground on increasing immunization rates in areas where vaccine hesitancy has been a widespread concern. Health workers have found that bringing in influential and well-respected figures to talk to people helped them convince larger sections of the communities to get vaccinated.

Related News

WHO warns of alarming rise in antibiotic-resistant infections

Cholera outbreak in Sudan affects 113,600+, kills 3000+

Read more: Polio virus reappears in rich economies, exposing gaps in immunization

"My own sense is that Pakistan wants to have this legislation in their back pocket in case they need it. I would be surprised if there’s a willingness to actually enforce these coercive measures," Jafari stressed.

Polio continues to ail Pakistan and neighboring Afghanistan as they still grapple with the challenge of eradicating the disease through vaccination.

Polio primarily affects children under the age of 5 and typically spreads through contaminated water sources. Since the inception of the global effort to eliminate polio in 1988, the WHO and its partners have administered billions of vaccine doses. This initiative comes at a great annual cost of nearly $1 billion, supported by contributions from donor nations and private organizations.

The immunization campaigns, which involve oral drops for children, have remarkably reduced more than 99% in polio cases. However, in extremely rare instances, the live virus in the vaccine can lead to polio or mutate, potentially causing new outbreaks.

In the current year, seven cases of polio attributed to the vaccination method have been reported, all of which occurred in Pakistan and Afghanistan. Meanwhile, over 270 cases have been linked to a vaccine-derived virus in 21 countries across three continents.

Read more: Polio vaccination campaign kicks off in 4 African nations: WHO

  • World Health Organization
  • Afghanistan
  • Sindh
  • Pakistan
  • Polio

Most Read

Iran strikes secret Israeli-US bunker under Tel Aviv high-rise

Tel Aviv high-rise struck by Iran hid Site 81, secret US-Israeli base

  • Politics
  • 14 Oct 2025
Palestinian journalist Saleh al-Jaafarawi in an undated image in Gaza, occupied Palestine (Social media)

Gaza Palestinian journalist Saleh al-Jafarawi killed by collaborators

  • Politics
  • 12 Oct 2025
drop site

New report details extensive Israeli arson in Gaza after ceasefire

  • Politics
  • 13 Oct 2025
Illustration of fists breaking shackles, representing the liberation of Palestinian detainees from Israeli prisons. (Illustrated by: AL Mayadeen English/Batoul Chamas)

4 prominent Palestinian detainees to be freed: Who are they?

  • Palestine
  • 13 Oct 2025

Coverage

All
War on Gaza

Read Next

All
Iraqi religious leader Sheikh Jawad al-Khalisi on Al Mayadeen Plus, October 18, 2025 (Screengrab)
Politics

Most powerful decision-maker in Iraq is US: Sheikh Al-Khalisi

Flags of Iran, Russia, and China (IRNA)
Politics

Iran, Russia, China confirm: Iran nuclear issue out of UNSC

Member of the Loyalty to the Resistance bloc Ali Fayyad speaks to Al Mayadeen, October 18, 2025 (Screengrab)
Politics

Hezbollah, allies will reject direct talks with 'Israel': MP Fayyad

The bodies of killed Palestinians held by "Israel" during the war are downloaded from Red Cross vehicles after their release, at the Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis, southern Gaza Strip, Oct. 15, 2025. (AP)
Politics

From rubble to graveyards, Gaza continues recovering its martyrs

Al Mayadeen English

Al Mayadeen is an Arab Independent Media Satellite Channel.

All Rights Reserved

  • x
  • Privacy Policy
  • About Us
  • Contact Us
  • Authors
Android
iOS