Polio Workers — Reuters/File

Pakistan is one of only three countries in the world where polio remains endemic, along with Afghanistan and Nigeria. Efforts to eradicate it have been seriously hampered by the deadly targeting of vaccination teams in recent years.

Militant groups often attack polio teams as they see vaccination campaigns as a cover for espionage. There are also long running rumours about polio drops causing infertility.

Balochistan had been polio free for almost more than two years. However, the first polio case was reported from Balochistan’s Killa Abdullah district last year in July 2014.

Refusal on the part of parents remained the underlying factor behind increasing cases of polio in Balochistan.