Polio Vaccination Team Attacked in Rawalpindi, Pakistan
A female polio vaccination team from the Punjab health department was assaulted and robbed by employees of the Cantonment Board Chaklala in Rawalpindi, Pakistan. The attackers stole polio vaccines, cash, and personal items.
Details of the Incident
Khadija Bibi, who filed the police report, explained that her team was administering polio drops when the incident occurred. After completing their duties, they returned to the Chaklala Cantonment Medical Center in Dehri Hassanabad. Upon arrival, around 40 employees from the Cantonment Board Chaklala forcibly entered a storage room designated for the health team. They took various items, including polio vaccines, a bag containing Rs15,000 in cash, and personal medicines.
Bibi further alleged that as she went inside to fetch medicine, the employees mistreated her, physically assaulting her by slapping and pushing her. The male staff accompanying them also faced abuse and physical attacks. Bibi has urged the police to pursue legal action against those responsible and to recover the stolen items.
Challenges Faced by Polio Workers
In Pakistan, polio eradication campaigns have faced significant challenges, including attacks and backlash driven by religious and ideological opposition. Recent incidents reflect the dangerous environment for polio workers in certain regions. For instance, on September 10, a remote-controlled bomb exploded near a police van in Wana Rustam Bazar, South Waziristan, injuring 13 people, including six police officers and seven civilians. The blast occurred while police were securing an anti-polio campaign, highlighting the persistent risks associated with these vaccination efforts.
The anti-polio campaign aimed to vaccinate approximately 70,000 children in the district, with 480 police officers deployed to ensure the safety of 297 polio teams. The increasing frequency of attacks on polio workers over the past decade underscores the ongoing dangers in Pakistan’s north-western regions, which are plagued by security issues and ideological opposition to vaccination efforts.
Doubts Revealed
Polio -: Polio is a disease caused by a virus that can make people very sick, sometimes causing paralysis. Vaccines help prevent this disease.
Vaccination Team -: A vaccination team is a group of people who give vaccines to others to protect them from diseases.
Rawalpindi -: Rawalpindi is a city in Pakistan, which is a country in South Asia.
Cantonment Board Chaklala -: The Cantonment Board Chaklala is a local government body in Rawalpindi that manages certain areas, especially where the military lives.
Khadija Bibi -: Khadija Bibi is the name of the woman who reported the attack to the police.
Ideological opposition -: Ideological opposition means that some people have strong beliefs or ideas that make them against certain actions, like giving vaccines.
