Facebook to help in fight against polio: Pakistan

PakistansaysFacebookwillhelpthe country in itsfightagainstpolioafter authorities blamed anti-vaccine content posted last year on the social network site for a leap in the number of cases.

Pakistanis one of only three countries wherepoliohas not been eradicated, but a years-long effort began to show fruit with a major drop in cases from 2016.

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By 2018 just 12 cases had been recorded, but to the dismay of Pakistani authorities and the World Health Organization, that number soared to 136 last year.

Pakistani officials quickly tied the surge to a slew of fake news reports and videos claiming many children had been killed by the vaccine that garnered thousands of views and shares on social media.

They called onFacebookdo more to remove harmful anti-vaccine content from the site, saying it was jeopardising eradication initiatives and putting the lives ofpolioworkers at risk.

Health authorities later saidFacebookhad removed dozens such videos.

This week a delegation from the company visited Islamabad and reaffirmed their commitment to the campaign, a Pakistani government statement said.

"We stand behind the national and global efforts to create apolio-free world and will continue to support these efforts," Rafael Frankel, aFacebookregional director, was quoted as saying in a statement released byPakistan's ministry of health.

Dr Zafar Mirza, a Special Assistant to Prime Minister Imran Khan on health, highlighted the importance of communicating correct health information online and stressed "the need to counter harmful content on social media".

Facebookdid not immediately respond to AFP's request for comment.

Vaccination campaigns have faced stubborn resistance for years inPakistan, with many refusing to have their children inoculated because of misinformation and conspiracy theories.

Islamist opposition to all forms of inoculation grew after the CIA organised a fake vaccination drive tohelptrack down Al Qaeda's former leader Osama Bin Laden in the Pakistani city of Abbottabad.

AsPakistantries to reach its goal of eliminatingpolio, the growing global movementagainstvaccinations -- fuelled by social media -- has presented a new challenge.

Afghanistan and Nigeria are the two other countries where the disease has not been entirely eradicated, although the latter is expected to be declaredpolio-free later this year.