Amidst ongoing efforts to eradicate polio, a polio vaccination team in Pakistan faced a violent attack and workers were abducted, underscoring the persistent security challenges and setbacks in the country's immunisation campaign.
Key Points
- A constable was injured in an attack on a polio vaccination team in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan, highlighting the dangers faced by healthcare workers.
- Three polio workers were abducted in Bannu district, further disrupting immunisation efforts and raising security concerns.
- These incidents occurred during a four-day anti-polio campaign aiming to vaccinate 6.5 million children across the province.
- Pakistan remains one of the last two countries globally where polio is endemic, facing challenges like security threats and vaccine hesitancy.
- Increased security measures, including the deployment of 50,000 police personnel, are in place to protect vaccination teams.
A constable was injured on Wednesday when a polio vaccination team came under attack in northwest Pakistan's Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, police said.
The constable, identified as Muhammad Anas, sustained a bullet wound to his leg when an armed assailant opened fire on his team on Samana Road in Hangu district.
The constable was taken to a nearby hospital for treatment.
The suspect involved in the attack was arrested shortly after the incident, police added.
The incident comes two days after a police constable was killed and four other personnel injured when unidentified militants opened fire on a security contingent deployed to protect a similar polio vaccination team in the province on Monday.
The incident occurred in the Chapri Waziran area, under the jurisdiction of Thall police station in Hangu district, on the first day of a province-wide anti-polio campaign.
Abduction of Polio Workers
In a related incident, suspected militants abducted three polio workers in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa's Bannu district, police said on Wednesday.
According to police, the incident took place in the Jhandokhel area, where the unidentified men kidnapped three members of a polio vaccination team.
The workers had gone to perform their routine immunisation duties.
The police and security forces cordoned off the area and launched a search operation to recover the abducted workers and trace the perpetrators.
No group has immediately claimed responsibility for the kidnapping.
Security Measures and Polio Campaign
Around 50,000 police personnel have been deployed to provide security to over 35,000 vaccination teams as part of a four-day anti-polio campaign across the province.
The campaign, to be held from April 13 to April 16, aims to vaccinate about 6.5 million children against poliovirus across all districts of the province, including Peshawar.
Pakistan is one of the last two countries in the world, besides Afghanistan, where polio remains endemic, as per the World Health Organisation (WHO).
Despite global efforts to eradicate the virus, challenges such as safety issues, vaccine hesitancy, and misinformation remain in eliminating the virus.
