Woman Pak polio vaccinator injured in attack dies

A second woman health worker injured in an attack on a polio vaccination team last month died in a hospital in Peshawar city of northwest Pakistan today.

Sumbal Bibi sustained bullet injuries when the vaccination team was attacked by suspected militants at Badabher, a suburb of Peshawar, on May 28.

She succumbed to her injuries in Lady Reading Hospital.

Sharafat Bibi, another health worker, was killed instantly during the attack.

The team was attacked while the health workers were going from door to door to vaccinate children against the crippling disease.

The attack had prompted the World Health Organisation to suspend its vaccination campaign in Peshawar.
 

No group claimed responsibility for the attack though the Pakistani Taliban banned polio vaccinations in parts of the tribal belt last year, claiming the drive was a cover for espionage.

Pakistan is one of a handful of countries where polio is still endemic.