ISLAMABAD — On Monday, an unidentified assailant fatally shot a police officer involved in Pakistan’s inaugural polio vaccination campaign of the year, according to local authorities.
In an effort to ensure the safety of health workers who are going door-to-door to immunize children, Pakistan has mobilized thousands of police personnel to guard them. Health workers are often targeted by extremists who falsely allege that vaccination efforts are part of a Western plot to sterilize children.
Local official Jamshed Khan reported that the police officer lost his life in Jamrud, a district situated in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province along the Afghanistan border. Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif condemned this violent act and reaffirmed the government’s commitment to the ongoing campaign to eradicate polio from the country.
The vaccination initiative launched on Monday aims to reach 44.2 million children aged five and under and will run until the following Sunday. Ayesha Raza Farooq, the prime minister’s adviser on polio eradication efforts, called on parents to work collaboratively with the vaccination teams to safeguard their children from the disease.
Since the 1990s, more than 200 polio workers and their police escorts have been killed in Pakistan, according to health officials. Just in December, a roadside bomb targeted a convoy of police officers protecting polio workers in the volatile northwest, resulting in three fatalities and injuries to two others.
While militant factions have ceased claiming responsibility for attacks on polio personnel and their armed protectors, authorities attribute these assaults to the Pakistani Taliban and splinter groups of the Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP). Although the TTP is aligned with the Afghan Taliban, who regained control of Afghanistan in 2021, it operates as a distinct entity.
Polio is caused by a virus that primarily affects children under five. While many infected children remain asymptomatic, others may experience fever, headaches, vomiting, and stiffness in the spine. In severe instances, polio can penetrate the nervous system, leading to paralysis within hours, as per data from the World Health Organization.
Pakistan and neighboring Afghanistan are the only countries where polio continues to circulate. In January, Pakistan recorded one case, following a total of 77 cases in the previous year, whereas Afghanistan reported 23 cases in 2024, according to WHO statistics.
Pakistan aims to concurrently launch vaccination initiatives in both nations to effectively eliminate the virus. In September, the Afghan Taliban halted door-to-door vaccination efforts, compelling parents to bring their children to specific locations for immunization.
