Vaccination backslide
The Covid-19 pandemic caused a staggering 23 million children to miss out on basic childhood vaccines in 2020, which was the highest number recorded since 2009. According to a 2024 WHO report, global immunisation efforts were yet to fully recover, with vaccination rates for diseases like diphtheria, tetanus and measles remaining well below 2019 levels. And now, a new crisis threatens to derail progress almost as much as the pandemic did — the US aid funding cuts.
Trump's 'America First' policy, which introduced sizeable aid funding cuts, has already impacted numerous global humanitarian efforts. These include environmental protection and conservation work, aid for crisis impacted people, support for refugees of war-stricken countries, and, in Pakistan's case, HIV/AIDs prevention.
Outbreaks of infectious diseases including meningitis, measles and yellow fever, have been increasing globally at an alarming rate, but low and lower-middle income countries are taking substantial hits. This is especially concerning news for Pakistan, which has not yet achieved key goals of polio eradication and measles despite ongoing efforts for prevention and vaccination.
It is a saddening state of affairs that despite decades of progress in science and modern medicine, the world is still grappling with preventable diseases.
According to a joint release by WHO, Unicef and Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, the US stands to risk similar outcomes in the childhood vaccination backslide — a crisis caused by the US funding cuts. This is not merely a health crisis, but a political and moral failure. The ripple effects of reduced funding threaten to undo years of collaborative progress for today's as well as future generations.
Pakistan now faces an even steeper climb towards disease prevention and immunisation efforts. With international funding no longer a sustainable and reliable option, the government must enact an action plan that prioritises domestic investment in public health infrastructure and outreach.
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Business Recorder
2 days ago
- Business Recorder
Over 14m people could die from US foreign aid cuts
PARIS: More than 14 million of the world's most vulnerable people, a third of them small children, could die by 2030 because of the Trump administration's dismantling of US foreign aid, research projected on Tuesday. The study in the prestigious Lancet journal was published as world and business leaders gather for a United Nations conference in Spain this week hoping to bolster the reeling aid sector. The US Agency for International Development (USAID) had provided over 40 percent of global humanitarian funding until Donald Trump returned to the White House in January. Two weeks later, Trump's then-close advisor — and world's richest man — Elon Musk boasted of having put the agency 'through the woodchipper'. The funding cuts 'risk abruptly halting — and even reversing — two decades of progress in health among vulnerable populations', warned study co-author Davide Rasella, a researcher at the Barcelona Institute for Global Health (ISGlobal). 'For many low- and middle-income countries, the resulting shock would be comparable in scale to a global pandemic or a major armed conflict,' he said in a statement. Looking back over data from 133 nations, the international team of researchers estimated that USAID funding had prevented 91.8 million deaths in developing countries between 2001 and 2021. That is more than the estimated number of deaths during World War II, history's deadliest conflict. The researchers also used modelling to project how funding being slashed by 83 percent — the figure announced by the US government earlier this year — could affect death rates. The cuts could lead to more than 14 million avoidable deaths by 2030, the projections found. That number included over 4.5 million children under the age of five — or around 700,000 child deaths a year. For comparison, around 10 million soldiers are estimated to have been killed during World War I. Programmes supported by USAID were linked to a 15-percent decrease in deaths from all causes, the researchers determined. For children under five, the drop in deaths was twice as steep, at 32 percent. USAID funding was found to be particularly effective at staving off preventable deaths from disease. There were 65 percent fewer deaths from HIV/AIDS in countries receiving a high level of support compared to those with little or no USAID funding, the study found. Deaths from malaria and neglected tropical diseases were similarly cut in half. Study co-author Francisco Saute of Mozambique's Manhica Health Research Centre said he had seen on the ground how USAID helped fight diseases such as HIV, malaria and tuberculosis. 'Cutting this funding now not only puts lives at risk — it also undermines critical infrastructure that has taken decades to build,' he stressed. A recently updated tracker run by disease modeller Brooke Nichols at Boston University estimates that nearly 108,000 adults and more than 224,000 children have already died as a result of the US aid cuts. That works out to 88 deaths every hour, according to the tracker. After USAID was gutted, several other major donors, including France, Germany and the UK, followed suit in announcing plans to slash their foreign aid budgets. These aid reductions, particularly in the European Union, could lead to 'even more additional deaths in the coming years,' study co-author Caterina Monti of ISGlobal said.
Business Recorder
3 days ago
- Business Recorder
Pakistan is suffocating
As carbon-intensive activities and vehicular emissions rise, so does Pakistan's position among the world's most polluted countries. While it is often emphasized that Pakistan contributes less than 1% to global emissions, the domestic consequences of its polluted air are nothing short of catastrophic. The World Health Organization identifies heart disease as the leading health risk in Pakistan - yet air pollution now causes the highest number of deaths in the country. And the scale of the crisis is reflected in recent warnings. In 2024, UNICEF cautioned that over 11 million children under the age of five were at risk due to hazardous air quality, particularly smog. Pollution levels shattered records in Lahore and Multan, exceeding the WHO's air quality guidelines by more than 100 times. This alarming situation reflects a broader trend: Pakistan consistently ranks among the world's most polluted countries, with its major cities Lahore and Karachi listed as the second and fourth most polluted major cities globally, according to the Air Quality Index (AQI). Though environmental degradation should not be justified in the name of industrial growth, Pakistan has not even achieved meaningful industrialization. Why, then, has air pollution reached life-threatening levels? The answer lies in a combination of factors, including emissions from industrial operations (especially coal-fired power plants), vehicles, and the open burning of domestic waste and crop stubble. However, unless Pakistan takes urgent steps to curb rising emissions, the toxic air will continue to fuel respiratory illnesses, shorten lifespans, and make industrial cities increasingly unlivable. So, what is air pollution? Contrary to popular belief, it is not limited to smog alone - smog is merely one of its many forms. According to the WHO, air pollution is the 'contamination of the environment,' typically caused by various pollutants. Among the most dangerous are fine particulate matter, known as PM2.5 - tiny particles less than 2.5 micrometers in diameter that can enter deep into the lungs and bloodstream. Even at low concentrations, they pose serious health risks. The WHO sets the safe annual limit for PM2.5 at 5µg/m³ (micrograms per cubic meter). However, in Pakistan, the average exposure has increased to 73.7µg/m³ - over eight times the limit and far above the global average (see Figure 1). In simple terms, Pakistan is, on average, breathing in 73.7 micrograms of fine particles in every cubic meter of air throughout the year. This is in contrast to countries like Finland (4.9µg/m³), New Zealand (6.5µg/m³), and Canada (6.6µg/m³), which enjoy some of the cleanest air in the world. While it's evident that Pakistan's air is far more polluted than the global average, it's equally crucial to understand the sources driving this pollution. Carbon-intensive industry, crop burning, and vehicle emissions: A toxic trio suffocating Pakistan's air: Pakistan's major cities, Lahore and Karachi, are not only the most densely populated but also serve as hubs of large industrial zones, placing them at the forefront of the impact of emissions. Evidence increasingly points to industrial activity as a major source of air pollution in these urban centers. A study conducted in Karachi identified industrial emissions as a major contributor to PM2.5 concentrations, and consequently, to the city's toxic air. This trend has intensified in recent years. In our article CBAM, Carbon Trap, and the Impact of Irrational Gas Policies, we highlighted the rapid rise in industrial emissions, largely driven by the continued use of carbon-intensive fuels such as coal. This shift has accelerated, particularly with investments in coal-fired power plants - an expansion that multiple studies have linked to worsening air quality. For instance, a study on the Port Qasim Coal-Fired Power Plant in Karachi estimated that in the absence of modern pollution controls, the plant's additional PM2.5 emissions could be linked to approximately 49 excess deaths per year from stroke and heart disease (Global Development Policy Center, 2021). Similarly, another analysis warned that Pakistan's expanding coal-based energy production - including large-scale plants in Thar - could generate dangerously high levels of PM2.5, leading to an estimated 29,000 pollution-related deaths over 30 years (Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air, 2020). Adding to these concerns, a 2024 study near the Sahiwal coal-fired power plant found alarming concentrations of toxic metals from coal ash within a 40?km radius, highlighting the environmental footprint of these operations (Luqman et?al.,?2024). Despite this mounting evidence, policy responses remain inadequate. The government often resorts to temporary shutdowns of factories during smog season - an ineffective and economically damaging response that fails to tackle the root cause. A long-term transition to cleaner fuels like natural gas is critical yet remains overlooked in energy policy. In addition to the emissions from coal fired plants, agricultural practices also play a substantial role in seasonal air pollution. In Punjab, air quality deteriorates every winter due to widespread burning of rice stubble - a practice adopted by farmers seeking quick and cheap field clearance for the wheat crop. However, viable alternatives exist. India and China, for example, have promoted the use of machines like the Happy Seeder and zero-till seed drills, which allow for wheat sowing directly through crop residues - helping cut emissions and conserve soil health simultaneously. Vehicular emissions compound the problem. Although Pakistan adopted Euro II standards in 2012, enforcement is weak, and many vehicles - especially older ones - fail to meet even these outdated norms. Meanwhile, countries have moved to Euro V and VI, improving urban air quality. Pakistan need not reinvent the wheel. China's example shows that sustained, coordinated action can yield results. In 2014, it launched a nationwide 'War on Pollution,' which included the phasing out of coal-fired boilers and industrial furnaces, as well as the conversion of coal-fired plants to gas-fired ones - eventually leading to a 32% reduction in particulate matter levels across major cities (Nakano & Yang, 2020). In stark contrast, Pakistan's inaction and lack of meaningful steps have led to devastating consequences from air pollution. The cost of inaction: Air pollution's devastating toll on Pakistan: Driven by carbon intensive emission, air pollution has become more harmful than any other disease. In fact, it is now the leading risk factor for death in Pakistan (Figure 2). Several studies have linked the country's toxic air to reduced life expectancy. The Energy Policy Institute at the University of Chicago reports that air pollution lowers the average lifespan by 3.8 years, and by up to 7 years in the most polluted regions. PM2.5 and smog are the main drivers of this growing health crisis. Pakistan also ranks among the countries with the highest death rates from air pollution. With 192 deaths per 100,000 people, nearly double the global average of 104, the country is close to the top ten globally. In comparison, Finland, which has some of the cleanest air, records only 7 deaths per 100,000. FIG 2 & 3 This public health crisis cannot be addressed through temporary bans and seasonal shutdowns alone. The root causes such as uncontrolled carbon emissions, polluting transportation systems, and routine crop residue burning, are well known and must be tackled through a coordinated policy action. Cleaner energy sources, stricter enforcement of vehicle emission standards, and the adoption of sustainable agricultural practices are no longer optional. As Pakistan continues to lose lives, air pollution is not just an environmental concern - it has become a national emergency. Addressing it will require a revamp of the energy policy and sustained political commitment. Without this, unfortunately, Pakistan will keep on suffocating - with its industries deepening their dependency on carbon and its people gasping for clean air. Copyright Business Recorder, 2025
Express Tribune
5 days ago
- Express Tribune
Over 600 drug addicts held in Peshawar
The number of drug addicts taken into custody has surpassed 600 as the fourth phase of the "Drug-Free Peshawar" campaign continues. Commissioner Peshawar Division, Riaz Khan Mehsud, along with Deputy Commissioner Peshawar, Sarmad Salim Akram, conducted a late-night inspection of key areas in the city that were previously known hotspots for drug addicts. Most of these areas, once occupied by groups of addicts, were found vacant during the visit. Commissioner Mehsud expressed satisfaction over the significant clearance of drug addicts from these public spaces. Meanwhile, medical examinations of the individuals currently housed in rehabilitation centers have begun. As part of the initial medical assessment, blood samples are being collected and tested for 29 different substances to determine the type of drugs used, enabling targeted treatment plans. In addition to drug screening, tests are also being conducted for HIV/AIDS and other infectious diseases. Separate wards have been designated in rehabilitation centers for patients diagnosed with such conditions. Commissioner Mehsud expressed satisfaction with the progress of the initiative and directed administrative officers to visit rehabilitation centers at different times on a daily basis. He emphasized the importance of monitoring the facilities and ensuring that patients receive adequate care and support throughout their recovery journey.
