Three years ago , Pakistan had almost completely eradicated polio , a devastating disease which paralyses its victims ' legs but is preventable with a simple injection . Today , it 's on the rise again after the Taliban declared the vaccine to be a 'Western conspiracy ' and a 'bio-weapon ' that would actually make children sick , and waged violent attacks against those found to be supplying it . But mother-of-three Farhina Touseef - the subject of Channel 4 's Unreported World - is risking her life by leading a team of medics as they travel door-to-door through dangerous Taliban strongholds offering the free vaccines to parents . Mother-of-three Farhina Touseef ( pictured ) is risking her life by leading a team of medics as they travel door-to-door through dangerous Taliban strongholds offering the free vaccines to parents . Flanked by reporter Nelufar Hedayat , Farhina takes her life into her hands on every mission she goes , unsafe in the knowledge that more than 80 health workers before her have been slaughtered by the Taliban . The Taliban , a Islamic fundamentalist political movement which was toppled from power after the US-led invasion of Afghanistan in 2001 , is famed for its hard-line policies and brutality against women . In Pakistan , polio has been on the rise since the Taliban declared the vaccine to be a 'bio-weapon ' that would actually make children sick . Pictured , reporter Nelufar Hedayat with two polio victims . Two young sisters , Maheen and Mariam , pictured with their brother , contracted the disease after their father , a conservative cleric , refused to give them polio drops . It is opposed to music , television and education for girls over the age of ten , among other things - the polio vaccine included . Farhina , along with several other of the government-spearheaded teams , is desperate to stop the spread of the highly contagious disease , which the World Health Organisation has called an international public health emergency . ' [ My family ] wanted me to give up work because it ’ s so risky , ' Farhina admits . 'It ’ s life threatening . My husband said 100 per cent I should resign . But I couldn ’ t do it . ' There have been 322 cases of polio across the country in the last two years , the majority of them children under three . Pictured , Maheen and Mariam 's mother , who wanted them to have the vaccine . Farhina , pictured hiding beneath her veil , takes her life into her hands on every mission she goes , unsafe in the knowledge that more than 80 health workers before her have been slaughtered by the Taliban . Vaccination - administered in drop-form into the mouth - is the only way to stop the spread of polio , and there is no cure . There have been 322 cases of polio across the country in the last two years , the majority of them children under three . Farhina tells Nelufar that many of the people they try to help refuse the medicine and are hostile – dangerous even , having been indoctrinated by the Taliban . Two of her colleagues were gunned down on the job in 2012 by the terror group for issuing the vaccine . Farhina and the Channel 4 team travelled to Orangi Town , a particularly hazardous region , to meet a family devastated by polio . Two young sisters , Maheen and Mariam , contracted the disease after their father , a conservative cleric , refused to give them polio drops against their mother ’ s wishes . She hopes that with the help of leg braces , Mariam may be able to walk again within three years , but for Maheen , it ’ s too late . Another cleric , Aisha Usmaini , teaches 400 women and preaches against the vaccine , incorrectly claiming that it contains 'human foetal tissue ' and is part of the 'war against Muslims ' . Many of the families they try to help refuse the medicine and are hostile – dangerous even , so Farhina must travel with armed guards everywhere she goes ( pictured ) Vaccination - administered in drop-form into the mouth - is the only way to stop the spread of polio , and there is no cure . Pictured , Nelufar with two members of the team who provide the vaccine . Sadly , these claims did n't appear from nowhere . The American CIA has admitted to using a vaccination campaign as cover back in 2011 to allow them to go house to house in their hunt for Osama Bin Laden . Back home , preparing to go out for another day vaccinating children , Farhina is concerned about her own children . 'God forbid , I worry that if something happens to me , what will happen to my family ? ' she tells Nelufar . 'One day when Pakistan is free from polio , I will have time for my family . But right now my other children need me . ' Unreported World airs tonight on Channel 4 at 7.30pm .
r Touseef travels the country distributing the free vaccine to kids . The government has labelled it a ' bio - virus ' and attacks those who supply it . malaria , which was once almost eradicated in Pakistan , is on the rise again .