Emergency declared in parts of Egypt after polio spreads from Pakistan

CAIRO: A state of emergency has been declared in several cities across Egypt after the polio virus was transferred to the country from Pakistan.

The provincial governments of Egypt have been ordered to set up polio counters at airports and all internal and external routes across the country.

In a joint statement, World Health Organization, UNICEF and Polio Monitoring Cell have termed this situation as critical and alarming for the polio campaign in Pakistan.

The statement further adds that children under the age of five will not be allowed to leave Pakistan without having had polio drops.

Before this recent outbreak, Egypt had been polio free since 2004.