A man has been arrested for allegedly harassing a female polio worker in Surjani Town, Karachi.

The incident, which occurred on December 18, involved the suspect exposing himself to the health worker while she was administering polio drops at a flat in the area.

The first information report was registered at the Surjani Police Station under sections 294 and 509 of the Criminal Procedure Code, which pertain to obscene acts and sexual harassment.

Following the complaint, police initiated an investigation into the matter.

This year, Pakistan has reported a concerning rise in polio cases, with 64 confirmed cases compared to just six in 2023.

The latest case was also recorded in Sindh, the province where Karachi is located.

The news comes after another polio vaccination team was attacked in a slum area of Karachi’s Korangi.

In that incident, two police officers and two polio workers were injured when a family confronted the vaccination team, leading to violence.

In response to the ongoing challenges faced by vaccination teams, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has urged parents across the country to cooperate with vaccination efforts to protect their children from polio.

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The government recently launched a four-day campaign aiming to immunize over 45 million children nationwide.

Health workers continue to face significant risks while working to eliminate polio in Pakistan, which remains one of the last endemic countries for the disease.