Latest news with #polioTeam
The Independent
3 days ago
- Health
- The Independent
Pakistan's latest polio case deals blow to eradication campaign
Northern Pakistan has reported its first Polio case in almost seven years, dealing a blow to the South Asian nation's campaign to eradicate the infectious disease. The virus was detected in a 23-month-old child from Diamer district in the Gilgit-Baltistan region, according to the country's polio eradication programme. This is Pakistan 's 11th case since January this year, despite the launch of several immunisation drives. The case was reported after a polio eradication team came under fire on Sunday, police said. According to local police, unknown armed men opened fire on the polio team in Sheikho village of the Tangir Valley, accusing them of 'ruining the environment' through the health campaign. The vehicle of the team was stopped at the RCC bridge. 'You all are ruining the environment here by bringing [unveiled] women from Gilgit in the name of the polio campaign. If you do this again, you won't be able to escape,' the armed gunmen said, according to Dawn. The shots fired by them punctured the tyres of the polio team's vehicle, the police said. Regional officials said they were aware of the incident and had ordered strict action. Faizullah Faraq, spokesperson for the Gilgit-Baltistan administration, said the chief minister had taken note of the firing. He added that the polio monitoring team was moved to a safe location immediately after the incident. He said the incident occurred because the polio team had gone to the area 'without informing the police'. Authorities were still trying to determine how the poliovirus, initially found in the southern port city of Karachi, had infected the child in Diamer, Mohammad Iqbal, a director at the polio programme in the northwest, said. Thousands of tourists from Karachi and elsewhere visit resorts in Gilgit-Baltistan during the summer season. The latest case emerged after Pakistan wrapped up its third nationwide polio vaccination drive of the year on Sunday, aiming to immunize 45 million children. Pakistan and its neighbour Afghanistan are the only two countries where the spread of the wild polio virus has not been stopped, according to the World Health Organization. There are ongoing outbreaks of polio linked to the oral vaccine in 10 other countries, mostly in Africa. Pakistan has faced vaccine hesitancy and misinformation campaigns which have slowed progress in eradicating the disease. Healthcare workers and police assigned to protect them are sometimes targeted by gunmen who falsely claim the polio vaccination campaigns are a Western conspiracy to sterilise children. Since the 1990s, attacks on polio vaccination teams in the country have killed over 200 workers and security personnel.
Arab News
27-05-2025
- Health
- Arab News
Police official guarding polio team shot dead in Pakistan's southwest
ISLAMABAD: A police official providing security to a polio vaccination team was shot dead in Pakistan's southwestern Balochistan province on Tuesday, the provincial administration said, highlighting the persistent threat to workers involved in the country's polio eradication campaign. Pakistan remains one of only two countries in the world where polio is still endemic, alongside Afghanistan. Efforts to eradicate the disease have faced numerous challenges, including parental refusals, misinformation and persistent attacks by militant groups. In many remote and volatile regions, vaccination teams operate under police protection, though security personnel themselves have frequently been targeted. 'A police officer was martyred in Nushki while guarding a polio team,' said Balochistan government spokesperson Shahid Rind in a statement. 'The polio campaign is a national duty, and any attack on it is intolerable,' he added. 'We pay tribute to the officer who embraced martyrdom in the line of duty.' The slain officer, identified as Waheed Ahmed, was a resident of Jamalabad, Nushki, according to the provincial spokesperson. Rind termed the shooting 'a conspiracy to sabotage the national campaign and spread fear.' He also vowed stricter action against the perpetrators. 'The government will further strengthen security measures for both polio teams and the personnel assigned to protect them,' he added. Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif also condemned the incident, expressing sorrow over the death of the police official and extending condolences to his family. 'An attack on a polio team working to safeguard the future of our children is unacceptable,' he said. 'Elements opposing the polio campaign will be dealt with firmly.' Pakistan witnessed a sharp rise in polio cases last year, with 74 children diagnosed with the crippling disease, 27 of them from Balochistan. So far this year, 10 cases have been reported across the country, prompting authorities to ramp up door-to-door vaccination drives despite the ongoing threat from militant groups.
