Persistent polio in Pakistan threatens eradication efforts
A Pakistani health worker vaccinates a child against polio, in Peshawar, Pakistan, Feb. 9, 2014.
Pakistan’s beleaguered battle to eradicate polio is threatening a global, multi-billion dollar campaign to wipe out the disease worldwide.
Because of Pakistan, the virus is spreading to countries that were previously polio free, say U.N officials.
“The largest poliovirus reservoir of the world,” is in Peshawar, the capital of Pakistan’s northwest Khyber Pukhtunkhwa province, which borders Afghanistan, according to the World Health Organization.
Read more: Pakistani polio strain threatens global eradication effort
Pakistan
A Pakistani beggar, who has been affected by polio, receives money from a commuter on a street in Islamabad, Feb. 11, 2014.
Militant attacks and threats of violence have badly affected efforts to stamp out the crippling disease in Pakistan, one of only three countries where it remains endemic.
Peshawar
Islamabad
Peshawar
Peshawar
Peshawar
Peshawar
Peshawar
Peshawar
Peshawar
Peshawar
Peshawar
Peshawar
Her mother cries a lot and wonders what will become of her daughter, already at a disadvantage in Pakistan’s male-dominated society.