Vulnerable polio workers

It is both sad and embarrassing that on the very day the Prime Minister launched the year's first nationwide polio campaign, a police constable on duty was shot dead in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa's Jamrud town. This was supposed to mark a renewed effort to eradicate a crippling disease, but instead, it exposed yet again the failure of the state to protect those on the frontlines.

The government should have taken strong preemptive measures to ensure the safety of polio teams, especially in high-risk areas like KP and Balochistan, where militants have consistently targeted vaccination workers. Despite a bloody track record, security remains inadequate. Polio workers continue to go door to door, with inadequate protection, while those assigned to safeguard them are often undertrained and under-equipped. This must change. If Pakistan is serious about eradicating polio, it must adopt a multi-pronged approach. First and foremost, security arrangements for polio workers must be overhauled. Teams operating in high-risk districts should be accompanied by well-trained and well-equipped security personnel, with rapid response units on standby. An intelligence-based approach is needed to identify and neutralise threats before attacks occur. Secondly, the state must dismantle the disinformation networks that fuel vaccine hesitancy and extremist propaganda. Myths linking polio vaccination to infertility or foreign conspiracies have taken deep root in certain communities, making workers even more vulnerable. Thirdly, community involvement is key. Fear and misinformation thrive in the absence of local engagement. Empowering local leaders, teachers and parents to champion vaccination efforts can help create safer working conditions for polio teams.

The current leadership must take heed from past instances. Failure to protect its polio workers means failure to eliminate the disease itself. The government must act not just with words, but with concrete, long-term strategies that ensure the safety of those on the frontlines.