Attack on polio vaccination teams in Pakistan leaves police officer dead

A tragic attack on a health facility in northwestern Pakistan on Tuesday left at least one policeman dead as unidentified gunmen attacked a group of polio vaccination teams. The incident took place in Upper Orakzai, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, where around 13 polio team members were present.

Mohammad Zeeshan Khan, deputy coordinator of the government body managing polio campaigns, confirmed the situation, saying: “We are in contact with local authorities and confirm that polio teams are safe.” He also noted that two militants who took part in the attack were killed.

Due to the violence, the anti-polio campaign in the area was suspended. No group has yet claimed responsibility for the attack; however, Islamist militant groups in the region have previously attacked polio teams, viewing vaccination efforts as part of a Western plot to sterilize children.

Although polio has been largely eradicated from most parts of the world, it remains a critical health problem in Pakistan, where there are currently 41 active cases, according to the Prime Minister’s Office. Pakistan and neighboring Afghanistan are the only countries still trying to completely eradicate the disease.

The attack comes amid a worrying resurgence of militant violence in northwestern Pakistan and a growing ethnic separatist insurgency in the south. The timing is especially significant as just a day earlier Pakistan had launched its third nationwide polio vaccination campaign this year. The week-long effort aims to administer polio vaccine to more than 45 million children, a necessary initiative given the alarming rise in cases, with six cases reported in 2023, up from one in 2021 and 20 in 2022.

Continued violence against health care workers poses a serious threat to the country’s public health initiatives, further complicating efforts to eradicate polio and protect the health of vulnerable children.

Melissa Enoch

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