Anti-Polio Campaign In-charge Killed In NW Pakistan

Islamabad, Dec 28, IRNA - Anti-polio drive in-charge Zahir Shah was killed and another official was injured when unidentified men opened fire on them in north western city of Peshawar on Saturday, local media reported. The incident occurred at Matni hospital. No group has yet claimed responsibility of the attack. The attack came despite a recent fatwa by a prominent religious scholar, who urged parents to immunize their children against polio and other life-threatening diseases and said vaccinations were compliant with Sharia. Gunmen have frequently attacked polio vaccination workers, accusing them of being western spies and part of a plot to sterilise Muslims. Pakistan is one of only three countries in the world where polio is still endemic, but efforts to stamp out the crippling disease have been hit by repeated attacks on health teams. A global eradication campaign has reduced polio cases by 99.9 per cent in the last three decades, but it remains endemic in Nigeria, Afghanistan and Pakistan. The disease is highly infectious and can cause irreversible paralysis. According to the World Health Organization, Pakistan recorded 72 cases of polio this year compared to 58 in 2012./end