Unidentified assailants opened fire on a polio vaccination team in Pakistan’s northwestern region on Wednesday, killing one vaccine administrator and one police officer providing security, according to local authorities.
The attack occurred in the Bajaur tribal district, which borders Afghanistan, just two days after Pakistan launched its latest nationwide campaign to eradicate polio. The country aims to vaccinate up to 30 million children in the effort to stamp out the virus, which remains a significant health threat in Pakistan despite being largely eradicated globally.
District Police Officer Waqas Rafique confirmed the incident, stating that “unidentified armed men opened fire on the polio vaccination team” as they conducted their campaign in the region. No group has claimed responsibility for the attack, but Islamist militant groups have previously targeted polio teams, falsely claiming that the vaccination efforts are part of a Western conspiracy to sterilize children.
The latest national campaign, launched earlier this week, aims to administer the polio vaccine to millions of children across the country. Pakistan and Afghanistan are the only two countries still struggling to eradicate the virus.
Following the attack, a local police union group called for a strike by policemen and a boycott of security duties for the vaccination campaign in the Bajaur district, in protest of the killing of their colleague.
The attack highlights the challenges faced by health workers and security personnel in Pakistan’s efforts to combat polio, and underscores the need for increased security measures to protect those working to eradicate the disease.
