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One Dead In Attack On Pakistan Polio Team


A Pakistani health worker administers polio vaccination drops to a child in Peshawar. (file photo)
A Pakistani health worker administers polio vaccination drops to a child in Peshawar. (file photo)

Gunmen have killed a member of the tribal police guarding a polio vaccination team in Pakistan's northwest in the latest attack on health workers trying to combat the disease.

Officials said the attack took place on September 10 in Damadola area of Bajaur, a tribal area on the border with Afghanistan where polio is a serious problem.

Nobody has claimed responsibility for the assault, but the Pakistani Taliban have attacked polio workers in the past, claiming the vaccination program is a cover for espionage.

According to AFP news agency, about 58 people have been killed in militant attacks on polio vaccination teams in Pakistan since late 2012.

Pakistan is one of only three countries, along with Afghanistan and Nigeria, where polio is endemic.

The country has recorded nearly 120 cases of polio so far this year.

Based on reporting by AFP and dawn.com
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