# 6822
Three times in recent weeks we’ve seen horrific coordinated attacks made against aid workers, either involved with or associated with the Polio Vaccination drives in Pakistan.
The first attack (see Pakistan: 6 Polio Workers Murdered) was reported on December 18th, the next day (see Pakistan: Fresh Attacks On WHO/UNICEF Polio Workers) we learned of 3 more deaths, and on January 1st the headlines read : 7 More Aid Workers Killed In Pakistan.
Pakistan is one of 3 countries where the polio virus is still endemic (the others being Afghanistan and Nigeria).
Taliban leaders condemned polio immunization campaigns after the use of a sham hepatitis vaccination campaign as a CIA cover in the pursuit of Osama Bin Laden (see Maryn McKenna’s Update: Pakistan, Polio, Fake Vaccines And The CIA).
Today, news from Agence France-Presse that rather than reinstituting a high profile national vaccine campaign, small well-guarded teams will begin local, targeted and low profile vaccination campaigns.
Security measures include excluding female health workers from participating in some of the higher risk zones, and banning motorcycles in and around vaccination sites in an attempt to prevent drive-by shootings.
Follow the link below for further details from AFP.
Pakistan resumes polio vaccines under tight security
Published on 04 Jan 2013
For more perspective on why Pakistan’s vaccination program is considered so vital by many public health authorities, we have this excellent report by CIDRAP NEWS editor Robert Roos.
WHO says polio drive must push on despite Pakistan setbacks
Robert Roos
News Editor
Jan 3, 2013 (CIDRAP News) – In the wake of recent killings of polio vaccinators in Pakistan, some questions are being raised about the all-out push to eradicate polio, but the World Health Organization (WHO) says the world can't afford to back off on the eradication drive now.
"We've never had so few cases or such a small footprint of the virus, so we know this opportunity is not going to come back," Sona Bari, the WHO's polio eradication spokesperson, told CIDRAP News. "We've never been here before. It's now or never."
The above is a small excerpt of a very long, and informative article. Well worth reading in its entirety.
