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A police officer guarding a polio team in Bajaur was shot and killed, leading to protests due to the failure to arrest the killer. The protest reportedly closed the main highway as participants demanded the arrest of those responsible for the killing and called for the improved safety of polio workers. Several social media users posted identical messages calling for a focus on peace instead of polio, claiming that no one dies from being unvaccinated against polio. One post called for protesters to boycott polio campaigns instead of blocking the roads.

On February 18, a police officer protecting polio workers in the Bajaur district of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa was shot and killed by suspected militants. Although no one has claimed responsibility, Bajaur has seen similar attacks in the past. In response to the attack, some social media users called for an end to door-to-door vaccination campaigns to reduce security risks. Others suggested ending all anti-polio work and expressed doubt that polio will ever be eliminated. Several posts questioned whether polio vaccination efforts are risking the lives of police officers, claiming without evidence that vaccination campaigns have “orphaned more children” than they have saved from polio.

On February 14, Pakistan’s National Institute of Health confirmed the detection of wild poliovirus in eight districts: five in Balochistan province and three in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province. The samples were collected between January 15-24. However, reports of the samples were overshadowed by a video clip spreading across social media of a child refusing polio drops and telling polio workers to “respect the name of Allah and leave here.” The video has been viewed thousands of times, with most responses expressing amusement. One post claims that the child “needed something from the Quran” to send polio workers away. 

News sites and social media users worldwide responded with a mix of excitement and frustration to the confirmation of Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. as the top health official in the U.S. due to Kennedy’s long history of promoting anti-vaccine myths and affiliation with a prominent anti-vaccine organization. Some popular posts expressed concern that Kennedy’s leadership would lead to outbreaks of vaccine-preventable diseases like polio. A U.S. congressperson posted about Kennedy’s alleged role in a measles outbreak in Samoa, which she incorrectly called a polio outbreak. Several posts supported Kennedy’s false claims about vaccine development, while others accused physicians and infectious disease experts opposed to the confirmation of “fearmongering” and insinuated that vaccines are more of a threat than the diseases they prevent.

A social media post about polio vaccines in Lakki Marwat received many responses calling for a boycott of anti-polio campaigns in the region using the hashtag #polioboycott. The boycott is in support of kidnapped factory workers in Lakki Marwat. Some posts state that peace is more important than the polio campaign. Meanwhile, residents in a village near Makli, Thatta, launched a “No water, no vaccines” boycott to protest a lack of clean water access. Several posts falsely claimed that polio vaccines are harmful and that the disease is only spreading in children who have received multiple polio drops.

On February 3, a police officer was fatally shot while guarding a group of polio workers in the Jamrud district of Pakistan’s Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province. The attack occurred on the first day of Pakistan’s first national polio vaccination drive of 2025. In response to a social media post condemning the attack, some commenters criticized the World Health Organization and blamed polio workers for using a “poisonous jab” to harm children in Pakistan. In a popular social media post, the Pakistan Polio Eradication Initiative encouraged vaccination. The post received 13 million views and over 1,000 responses, including false claims that polio vaccines are poison and accusations that the polio vaccine is “unsafe” and was designed by the “United States, Britain, and Israel” to harm Muslims. Meanwhile, a video clip with over 72,000 views accused a U.S. international aid organization of corrupting Pakistani religious leaders and politicians. Although some comments supported the agency’s work in Pakistan, others repeated the claim that government workers profit from anti-polio funds.

An Indonesian social media account that previously cast doubt on the safety of polio and COVID-19 vaccines claims that Indonesia’s Ministry of Health is concealing vaccine data to hide government corruption. The user posted several times about a February 4 lawsuit hearing regarding the public disclosure of government contracts, vaccination data, and clinical trial data related to polio and COVID-19 vaccines. The health ministry argues that the requested data is confidential. Commenters on social media claim that vaccination is part of a depopulation plan and accuse the media of covering up the story. One post suggests that the government is “poisoning” its citizens, while another claims that “viruses don’t exist.”

On April 6, Gaza’s Health Ministry warned that Israel is blocking polio vaccines from entering the region, putting over 600,000 children at risk. In response, many commenters called for an end to the blockade, while other posts claimed that polio vaccines are “toxic” and unnecessary during the conflict.