Summary The incident brings to 78 the number killed in attacks on immunisation teams since December 2012.
ISLAMABAD (AFP) - A polio worker was shot dead in the tribal district of Bajaur, underscoring the continuing violence against vaccination teams as Pakistan tries to eradicate the crippling childhood disease that is endemic in only two other countries -- Nigeria and Afghanistan.
"A polio worker was shot dead while another sustained injuries when they were fired upon while administering polio drops in Khamangra neighbourhood of Nawagai area in Bajaur tribal district," local administration official Fayaz-ul-Haq Sherpao told AFP.
The attack was confirmed by another senior administration official, Sohail Ahmed Khan. It brings to 78 the number killed in attacks on immunisation teams since December 2012.
Taliban militants have long claimed the polio vaccination drive is a front for espionage or a conspiracy to sterilise Muslims.
They intensified their strikes after the CIA recruited a doctor to carry out a fake immunisation drive to help track down Al Qaeda chief Osama Bin Laden.
Last year the number of polio cases recorded in Pakistan soared to 306, the highest in 14 years.
