Islamic militants claim polio vaccine is part of Western conspiracy
Publication date: October 29, 2024 15:07
Elementary Medium Large A boy receives a polio vaccine during an anti-polio campaign in Peshawar, Pakistan, in February 2020. Pakistan is one of the few countries in the world where polio has not been eradicated. (Reuters file photo)
PESHAWAR, Pakistan – Unidentified gunmen attacked a health office where a polio vaccination team was gathering on Tuesday in northwestern Pakistan, killing at least one police officer, authorities said on Tuesday, killing at least one police officer. This was revealed by a government official.
The attack occurred in Upper Orakzai, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, and there were about 13 members of the polio response team, Mohammad Zeeshan Khan, deputy coordinator of the polio control agency, told Reuters.
“We are in touch with local authorities to ensure the safety of the polio team,” Khan said, adding that two militants were also killed.
“Polio control efforts have been suspended in this region,” he said.
No group has claimed responsibility for the attack.
Islamic militants in the region have previously claimed similar attacks on polio vaccination teams, falsely portraying the vaccination campaign as a Western plot to sterilize children.
Eradication of polio remains a goal in Pakistan, where there are 41 cases of the disease, although it has been largely eradicated elsewhere, according to the Prime Minister’s Office. Pakistan and neighboring Afghanistan are the only two countries in the world where it still exists.
The attack came as Pakistan battles a resurgence of militant attacks in its rugged northwest and a growing ethnic separatist insurgency in its south.
On Monday, Pakistan launched its third nationwide polio drive this year. In 2023, there were only 6 cases, but in 2022 there were 20 cases, and in 2021 there was only 1 case.
The week-long campaign aims to reach more than 45 million children with anti-polio vaccines.
