Pakistan’s longstanding struggle to eradicate polio is once again under siege as persistent violence against health workers and their protectors continues to threaten the country’s fragile progress.
On April 23, tragedy struck the Teeri area of Mastung District in Balochistan when two Levies personnel assigned to guard a polio vaccination team were shot dead by unidentified assailants.
The attack is the latest in a troubling pattern of targeted violence that undermines a public health campaign critical to Pakistan’s global standing and domestic well-being.
The killing of the Levies personnel is not an isolated incident. For over a decade, polio vaccination teams across Pakistan have operated under the shadow of fear.
Attacks, often motivated by extremist ideologies and fuelled by misinformation, have plagued efforts to immunise millions of children against a disease that the rest of the world has largely managed to eliminate.
Despite substantial government support, international aid, and rigorous fieldwork by thousands of frontline health workers, violence continues to erode trust and participation in these vital programs.
Balochistan, one of Pakistan’s most restive provinces, has consistently posed challenges to the polio eradication drive.
Geographical isolation, weak health infrastructure, and security concerns have made vaccine outreach logistically daunting.
Yet it is the targeted violence that most starkly illustrates the depth of resistance to health interventions in some communities.
Militant groups, including factions opposed to state authority and extremist religious outfits, have long propagated conspiracy theories about the vaccines—accusing them of being Western plots to sterilise Muslim children or a front for espionage.
Such narratives have taken root, especially in underdeveloped and poorly educated regions, amplifying hesitancy and resistance.
The loss of Levies personnel in Mastung reflects a deeper societal and systemic crisis.
Polio teams, typically composed of female health workers accompanied by male guards, are not only performing a medical function but also confronting entrenched cultural and political fault lines.
These teams often enter communities suspicious of state intentions, and their presence can inadvertently trigger hostility from those who view them as intruders.
In some areas, providing polio vaccines has come to symbolise the state’s presence more than any other government service, making health workers a tragic target in broader conflicts over governance and autonomy.
The World Health Organization (WHO) and UNICEF, key partners in the Global Polio Eradication Initiative, have repeatedly emphasised that Pakistan and Afghanistan remain the last two countries where polio is endemic.
While Afghanistan has faced its share of hurdles, including bans on door-to-door campaigns by the Taliban in recent years, Pakistan’s challenges are uniquely marred by sustained and deadly opposition.
This hostile environment has not only stalled progress but has also made it increasingly difficult to retain and recruit field workers, many of whom now see the job as a death sentence.
The ramifications of such attacks are wide-reaching. Each act of violence derails carefully planned vaccination drives, fosters fear among communities, and emboldens anti-vaccine propaganda.
Health workers, the linchpins of eradication efforts, are often poorly paid and inadequately protected despite the life-threatening risks they face daily.
In the wake of tragedies like the Mastung attack, morale dips and coverage gaps widen, allowing the virus to persist and even spread.
Such lapses are dangerous, especially given the mobility of populations between regions and across borders.
Moreover, these incidents strain Pakistan’s international credibility.
The global health community has poured significant financial and technical resources into helping the country combat polio.
When vaccination efforts are violently thwarted, it raises questions about the state’s ability to safeguard public health and honour its international commitments.
With each attack, donor fatigue grows, and the vision of a polio-free Pakistan becomes ever more elusive.
In recent years, Pakistan has made commendable strides in reducing the number of polio cases, with intensified campaigns and improved surveillance.
However, the persistence of violence threatens to undo much of this hard-won progress.
The deadly incident in Mastung serves as a grim reminder that the war against polio is being fought on multiple fronts—not just against a virus, but against ignorance, extremism, and impunity.
The perpetrators of attacks on health workers are rarely brought to justice, fostering a culture of fear and impunity.
For frontline workers, the state’s failure to provide effective security measures signals abandonment.
For affected communities, the lack of accountability reinforces mistrust in both government and public health institutions.
Ultimately, the price of failure is borne by the most vulnerable: children left unvaccinated, families living in fear, and a nation caught in the crosshairs of a battle it cannot afford to lose.
As long as violence stalks polio teams, eradication will remain an unfulfilled promise.
The Mastung killings are not just an assault on individuals but on a nation’s hope to rid itself of a crippling disease once and for all.
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