Tragic Attack on Polio Team Highlights Ongoing Challenges in Pakistan

Two police officers were killed in a terrorist attack while guarding a polio vaccination team in Upper Orakzai. Three terrorists were neutralized. As polio cases surge to 41 nationwide, the government announces a vaccination drive to combat the virus's spread, with Balochistan being heavily affected.

In a deadly attack that underscores the persistent challenges faced by polio eradication teams in Pakistan, two police officers on security duty were killed in Upper Orakzai district, according to ARY News. The attack took place in Dabori Badan Kalay, where terrorists opened fire on a polio team, resulting in the tragic loss of two officers.

Retaliatory fire claimed the lives of three attackers, as reported by a police official. In another incident, a polio vaccination team in Kohat's Darrewal Banda came under fire, but the policemen and vaccinators involved emerged unscathed after a brief exchange of gunfire forced the assailants to flee.

Amid this backdrop of violence, the number of polio cases in Pakistan reached 41 this year following the confirmation of wild poliovirus type 1 in a young girl from Loralai District, Balochistan, as per Geo News. The government plans to initiate a nationwide vaccination campaign starting October 28 to curtail the virus's spread. The outbreak intensity in Balochistan, which reported 21 cases, is a growing concern for health officials, with remaining cases dispersed across Sindh, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Punjab, and Islamabad.

(With inputs from agencies.)