Did CIA’s Fake Polio Vaccination Program in Pakistan Help Fuel a Global Health Emergency?
The increase of polio in Pakistan is being linked to a secret CIA effort to hunt Osama bin Laden, in which the agency set up fake vaccination clinics in the city of Abbottabad in order to get DNA from the bin Laden family. The Taliban subsequently banned immunization efforts and carried out deadly attacks on medical workers.
The increase of polio in Pakistan is being linked to a secret CIA effort to hunt Osama bin Laden, in which the agency set up fake vaccination clinics in the city of Abbottabad in order to get DNA from the bin Laden family. The Taliban subsequently banned immunization efforts and carried out deadly attacks on medical workers.
The World Health Organization has designated the spread of polio in Asia, Africa and the Middle East a global public health emergency requiring a coordinated “international response.” Pakistan, Cameroon and Syria are recognized as three countries that pose the greatest risk to further spreading of the paralyzing virus. The WHO has recommended that all residents of the countries, of all ages, be vaccinated before traveling abroad. Another seven countries — Afghanistan, Equatorial Guinea, Ethiopia, Iraq, Israel, Nigeria and Somalia — were instructed to encourage would-be travelers to get vaccinated.
“Democracy Now!” hears from Rafia Zakaria, a columnist for Dawn, Pakistan’s largest English-language newspaper, who has been covering the rise of polio in that country since the bin Laden raid. One of Pakistan’s leading polio experts, Dr. Zulfiqar Bhutta, also joins the conversation.
‘Democracy Now!’:
— Posted by Alexander Reed Kelly.
Wait, before you go…If you're reading this, you probably already know that non-profit, independent journalism is under threat worldwide. Independent news sites are overshadowed by larger heavily funded mainstream media that inundate us with hype and noise that barely scratch the surface. We believe that our readers deserve to know the full story. Truthdig writers bravely dig beneath the headlines to give you thought-provoking, investigative reporting and analysis that tells you what’s really happening and who’s rolling up their sleeves to do something about it.
Like you, we believe a well-informed public that doesn’t have blind faith in the status quo can help change the world. Your contribution of as little as $5 monthly or $35 annually will make you a groundbreaking member and lays the foundation of our work.
Support Truthdig
There are currently no responses to this article.
Be the first to respond.