Pakistan polio vaccine teams on edge after fatal attacks

CHAMAN, Apr 25 (AFP): Polio workers across Pakistan were told to remain vigilant Thursday after multiple attacks on vaccination teams killed at least three people this week during an ongoing push to eradicate the disease from the restive country.

The latest victim, a polio worker, was shot in southwestern Balochistan province Thursday morning, following separate attacks targeting health workers in the country's northwest earlier this week that left two police officers dead.

"The attack has taken place in a remote area, and we have received reports that one female polio worker has been killed," Attaullah Shah, a district police chief, told AFP, saying a second health worker was also critically injured in the attack.

Security officials in Pakistan told AFP that authorities have instructed polio teams to remain "vigilant" amid the violence.

The attacks come days after more than 25,000 children were rushed to hospitals in northwestern Pakistan after rumours spread some had suffered reactions to a polio vaccine.