A Pakistani health official says the country has kicked off its first nationwide polio vaccination campaign for the year in efforts to eradicate the crippling disease by the end of 2019. Pakistan is one of three countries in the world where polio is still endemic. But militant threats and deep-rooted superstition have spurred many parents, particularly in areas bordering Afghanistan, to refuse to vaccinate their children. The campaign will try to include children who move across the Afghan-Pakistan border. In 2018, Pakistan reported only eight new polio cases.

Source: ABC News January 21, 2019 07:33 UTC