Vaccine providers and the police assigned to protect them have been attacked during past anti-polio campaigns, which militants falsely claimed were a Western conspiracy to sterilize children.
Pakistan has registered two new polio cases since January, a blow to the goal of eradicating a disease that affects the nervous system and can cause severe paralysis in children.
Pakistan came close to eradicating polio in 2021, when only one case was reported, and last year reported about two dozen cases.
The cases so far this year were reported from northwestern Pakistan bordering Afghanistan, where the Taliban rulers last week launched a four-day polio vaccine drive targeted at children under 5.
In 2022, only two polio cases were reported from Afghanistan, raising hopes for the eradication of disease.
Persons:
Anwaarul, Kakar
Organizations:
—, Caretaker
Locations:
ISLAMABAD, — Pakistan, Islamabad, Pakistan, Afghanistan