Polio

The Honourable Christian Paradis, Minister of International Development and La Francophonie, issued the following statement: “Humanitarian, development and security personnel should not have to fear for their lives as they provide critical assistance to the Pakistani people. There is no possible justification for such violence against health workers and those who protect them.”

Attacks on health workers, facilities, and patients violate the Geneva Conventions and international human rights law. How can we protect the human rights of those who give impartial care, and of those who desperately need it? Last month I joined a gathering of the diplomatic, global health, and humanitarian communities to discuss United Nations leadership for protecting access to health care. The UN Global Health and Foreign Policy Group is proposing a resolution to the UN General Assembly focused on ensuring the safety of health workers in conflict and emergency situations.

A ban on vaccinations by a Taliban leader in retaliation for U.S. drone strikes, and attacks on health-care workers after a fake vaccination campaign was used to hunt down Osama bin Laden, have hurt eradication efforts and enabled polio to spread inside Pakistan.

Being a front-line health worker usually isn't controversial. But in Pakistan, it can get you killed. The Taliban went on an offensive against polio immunization in 2012 after it became clear that the CIA used a fake hepatitis vaccination campaign to gather intelligence on Osama bin Laden. Since then, more than 60 polio workers have been gunned down.

Teams of women ‘vaccinators’ in Pakistan struggle to achieve full coverage in a country wracked by ideological violence. Their commitment is unfailing even as they face attacks from the Taliban, as well as fearful communities that don't trust the source of the vaccines. Determined and patient, these women go from door to door to try and get all the children protected.