The continuing conflict in Pakistan has left more than a million children at risk of contracting polio

Vaccination programs earlier in 2009 were compromised by opposition from militants and by violence, which has made many areas inaccessible. Pakistan is one of four countries which still see annual outbreaks of polio. The first few months of the year are crucial for vaccination teams who try to reach children before the polio virus starts to circulate. In 2009, their campaigns have been badly disrupted. In some places, Taliban extremists have intervened and stopped programs, calling them un-Islamic. Some militants have opposed the vaccine, describing it as dangerous and part of a Western plot to harm Muslim children.