QUETTA, Pakistan (AP) – In a tragic incident on Wednesday, gunmen on a motorcycle assassinated two security officials who were tasked with protecting polio vaccination workers in the volatile region of Balochistan, southwestern Pakistan. The attack took place in a residential area of Mastung, as reported by local police official Mohammad Arif. Fortunately, the health workers who were engaged in vaccinating children nearby were unharmed during the assault.
This violent act follows the launch of a nationwide polio vaccination campaign just two days earlier, aimed at immunizing 45 million children against the debilitating disease. Shahid Rind, a spokesperson for the Balochistan government, strongly condemned the attack, emphasizing the ongoing danger faced by those involved in public health initiatives.
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), Pakistan, alongside neighboring Afghanistan, continues to be one of the last two countries where the potentially fatal and paralyzing poliovirus has not been eradicated. This lack of progress is compounded by persistent security threats against health workers.
Militants frequently target police and health professionals, employing unfounded claims that vaccination campaigns are part of a larger Western conspiracy intended to sterilize Muslim children. This myth has fueled violence against polio workers for years, leading to significant fatalities in the sector.
The situation regarding polio in Pakistan remains dire, with a notable resurgence of cases reported last year. The country documented 74 polio cases in 2022, a stark contrast to just one case in the previous year, 2021. However, since the beginning of 2023, Pakistan has reported only six cases, indicating some progress in vaccination efforts despite the attendant risks.
Since the 1990s, over 200 polio workers and the security personnel assigned to protect them have fallen victim to assassination and violence in relation to vaccination campaigns. The ongoing attacks highlight the precarious environment in which health officials operate, hinder the fight against polio, and pose significant challenges to public health in Pakistan.
