Pakistan Records Additional Polio Cases; Vaccination Program Criticized In Upcoming Report

News outlets note additional cases of polio have been recorded in Pakistan and highlight a soon-to-be-released report criticizing the government’s polio vaccination campaign.

Associated Press: Pakistan detects more polio cases on awareness day
“The World Health Organization said Friday that three more polio cases have surfaced in Pakistan, bringing the number of new cases to 220, a record figure that authorities blame on attacks by insurgents targeting vaccination teams…” (Ahmed, 10/24).

Reuters: ‘Disastrous’ health campaign feeds Pakistan’s worrying polio spike
“Taliban militants have long been the scourge of Pakistan’s polio vaccination campaign, attacking aid workers and the police who protect them as they distribute doses to children. But experts say there is another reason for the sharp spike in cases of the crippling disease in Pakistan this year — government mismanagement. ‘Pakistan’s polio program is a disaster. It continues to flounder hopelessly, as its virus flourishes,’ the Independent Monitoring Board, which advises agencies fighting polio, will say in a report to be released this week…” (Houreld, 10/27).

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