text: 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 didn'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 .
target: Farhina Touseef travels the country administering the free vaccine to kids .
  The Taliban has labelled it a 'bio-weapon' and attacks those who supply it .
  Polio, which was once almost eradicated in Pakistan, is on the rise again .