Bomb Kills Pakistani Polio Vaccinator in Tribal Region

October 08, 2014

A roadside bomb exploded in northwest Pakistan on October 8, killing an off-duty polio vaccinator and his cousin and wounding another polio worker.

The blast occurred in the Ali Nagar village of the Mohammad tribal region near the border with Afghanistan, an area where Taliban militants are active.

No group immediately claimed responsibility for the attack.

But Taliban militants have been targeting immunization workers across Pakistan, alleging they are spies for the United States.

In Peshawar on October 6, a bomb killed two people near a hospital where campaigners against polio were working. 

Pakistan is one of only three countries where polio remains endemic, partly due to militant resistance to vaccination campaigns.

On October 3, Pakistani health officials announced they’ve registered more than 200 new cases of the crippling disease, making 2014 the worst year on record in Pakistan.

Based on reporting by AFP, Reuters, AP, and BBC