Polio is experiencing a resurgence in Pakistan, with 73 reported cases last year compared to just one in 2021. The outbreak is concentrated in the unstable regions of Baluchistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, where armed insurgents increasingly target vaccination teams. This is compounded by the shared border with Afghanistan, which also reports growing polio cases. Vaccination efforts have faced significant hurdles amidst political instability and violence, diminishing the chances of eradication in these areas despite previous successes in global polio immunization campaigns.
Health officials say the virus is now rapidly spreading in the country's most volatile regions, Baluchistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, where militant groups are waging expanding insurgencies.
Pakistani officials said there were more than two dozen attacks targeting Pakistani polio teams or their security details last year.
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