A polio worker was fatally shot in Peshawar, Pakistan, underscoring the ongoing dangers and challenges facing polio eradication efforts in the region.
Key Points
- A polio worker was shot dead in Peshawar, Pakistan, during a vaccination campaign.
- The attack occurred in Urmar village, a suburb of Peshawar.
- This is the latest in a series of attacks targeting polio workers and security personnel in Pakistan.
- Pakistan remains one of the last two countries in the world where polio is endemic.
- A week-long anti-polio campaign is underway in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, aiming to vaccinate 6.5 million children.
Unidentified gunmen killed a polio worker on the outskirts of Peshawar, the capital of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province in northwest Pakistan, police said Saturday.
The incident occurred in Urmar village of Peshawar suburb on Friday during an ongoing polio eradication campaign when the assailants targeted the polio worker.
The deceased polio worker, identified as 35-year-old Shoaib Ali, died on the spot in the attack, police said, adding, the attackers managed to flee the scene.
Attacks on Polio Workers in Pakistan
An FIR regarding the incident has been lodged at the Urmar police station.
No group has claimed responsibility for the attack so far.
Earlier on Wednesday, suspected militants abducted three polio workers in the Bannu district of the province.
Escalating Violence Against Vaccination Teams
On Monday, a police constable was killed, and four others were injured when militants fired at a security contingent deployed to protect a polio vaccination team in the Hangu district of the province.
In a separate incident in Balochistan, a constable guarding a vaccination team was killed when unidentified armed men opened fire on them in Nasirabad district on Wednesday.
Pakistan's Ongoing Polio Crisis
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.
Around 50,000 police personnel have been deployed to provide security to over 35,000 vaccination teams as part of a week-long anti-polio campaign across Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
The campaign, being held from April 13 to April 19, aims to vaccinate about 6.5 million children against poliovirus across all districts of the province, including Peshawar.
