A bomb exploded Monday near a group of polio vaccinators in Peshawar, killing at least two policemen, The New York Times reported. Since December, at least 20 polio workers have been killed in similar assaults.
Such violence has threatened the global effort to stamp out the disease in the three countries where the virus is still endemic — Afghanistan, Nigeria and Pakistan.
The attacks will probably continue, researchers warned Tuesday, unless world leaders rethink the strategy for eradicating polio.
In a pair of commentaries, researchers from Afghanistan, Nigeria and Pakistan call for a shift in where money and resources for polio eradication are focused.
Instead of promoting the polio vaccine through high-profile leaders and politicians, they write, these countries need to build up and empower the community health workers. Usually women, these workers go door to door to administer vaccine and other basic health services.
The full article continues at http://www.npr.org/blogs/health/2013/10/08/230451772/shifting-resources-to-front-lines-could-protect-polio-workers on NPR’s website.