How will Pakistan eliminate polio if the workers keep getting attacked?

Along with Nigeria and Afghanistan, Pakistan is one of three remaining polio-endemic countries in the world. Its neighbour India, earlier one of the most polio-endemic countries in the world has managed to completely eradicate the disease but widespread ignorance coupled with terrorist bodies targeting anti-polio workers means that the disease isn't likely to be wiped out in Pakistan in the near future.

Two more people were killed in three separate attacks on those carrying out polio vaccination drive in Pakistan's Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province Wednesday, a day after five anti-polio workers were murdered. Three teams involved in polio vaccination drive came under attack in Peshawar, Nowshera and Charsadda Wednesday, Dawn News reported. A woman from a polio vaccination team and a driver associated with the programme were killed during the attack in Charsadda.

The attack comes just a day after five members of polio vaccination teams were murdered - four in Karachi and one on the outskirts of Peshawar. All of them were women, the youngest a 14-year-old volunteer. An official at Charsadda was quoted as saying that the anti-polio drive would continue, and stressed that such attacks would not shake the resolve of the government.

A volunteer was shot at and injured during the attack on a polio team in Peshawar. Separately, gunmen attacked a polio team working in Nowshera. But, there were no casualties.Pakistan is one of only three countries in the world, along with Afghanistan and Nigeria, where polio is endemic.

Source: IANS