“The murders of charity and aid workers in Pakistan has dealt a devastating blow to a national campaign to wipe out polio and other deadly diseases,” a New York Times editorial states. “No one has claimed responsibility for the most recent attack, but suspicions point to the Pakistani Taliban and other militant groups that have opposed the vaccination drives, calling them a cover for government or international spies, or part of a plot to sterilize Muslim children,” the editorial says.

“The federal authorities need to make sure that the killers are brought to justice and make clear that murdering health workers is a terrorist act against the nation itself,” the editorial continues, adding, “The vaccination programs are essential to the protection of Pakistan’s citizens.” The editorial concludes, “After a two-decades-long global vaccination campaign, the world is on the verge of eradicating polio. … Without safety for health workers, this scourge will never be eradicated” (1/4).