Polio worker fatally shot by gunmen during vaccination campaign in Pakistan

Gunmen on motorcycles attacked a team of polio workers in northwestern Pakistan, killing a police officer and a polio worker. The attack occurred in Bajur district during a nationwide polio vaccination campaign. The district is a former stronghold of the Pakistani Taliban. Pakistan’s Interior Minister condemned the attack, but no group immediately claimed responsibility. This incident follows another attack in South Waziristan district, where a roadside bomb wounded officers protecting health workers during a polio immunization drive. The Islamic State group later claimed responsibility for that attack. Anti-polio campaigns in Pakistan face regular violence from militants who falsely claim that the vaccinations are part of a Western plot to sterilize children. Pakistan has reported 17 new cases of polio since January, threatening efforts to eradicate the disease in the country. Pakistan and Afghanistan are the only countries where polio has not been fully eradicated. This ongoing violence during vaccination campaigns poses a significant challenge to public health efforts in Pakistan.

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Photo credit wtop.com