In a troubling incident on Monday, three policemen sustained injuries when gunfire erupted while they were on duty guarding a polio vaccination team in the Chhapri Wazeeran area of Hangu district. The injured officers were promptly transported to a nearby hospital for urgent medical treatment. Following the attack, local police forces swiftly deployed additional contingents to the area and established a security cordon to maintain order and prevent further violence.
Such attacks on polio vaccination teams and their security personnel have been a persistent challenge in Pakistan, where militant groups have repeatedly targeted these efforts. Pakistan, along with neighboring Afghanistan, remains one of the few countries where polio is still endemic, making the protection of vaccination teams a critical priority for public health authorities.
Meanwhile, Pakistan has recently launched its second nationwide anti-polio campaign for the year 2026. This initiative follows the successful completion of the first national drive earlier in February, during which more than 44.3 million children were vaccinated. The campaign is extensive, covering 169 districts across the country, and involves the deployment of over 400,000 workers dedicated to eradicating the disease.
The current anti-polio campaign is scheduled to continue until April, aiming to vaccinate over 45.3 million children. Despite the security risks and attacks on vaccination teams, the government remains committed to eliminating polio from the country through these large-scale immunization efforts.
