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A police officer stand guard as a health worker administers polio vaccine drops to a child during a door-to-door vaccination campaign, in Peshawar, Pakistan, 09 September 2024. A case of poliovirus has emerged in Islamabad after 16 years, marking the total number of cases in Pakistan this year at 17. The eight-year-old boy, from Union Council Rural 4, is the first confirmed case in the capital since 2008. Environmental samples have also tested positive for the virus in 64 districts, highlighting the ongoing threat to children's health. In response, the government has announced a large-scale vaccination campaign set for September 9-13, targeting over 33 million children across 115 districts, including areas with recent cases. Experts have pointed to past mismanagement and the need for a renewed strategy to combat polio, emphasizing the importance of restoring effective leadership and improving vaccination efforts to curb the virus's spread. (Photo by Arshad Arbab/EPA/EFE)
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