CIA fake vaccination campaign in Pakistan explained

During the manhunt for Osama bin Laden, the CIA ran a covert operation utilizing a fake hepatitis vaccine program in Pakistan to illicitly collect blood samples to confirm the presence of bin Laden or his family.[1] The CIA did not administer hepatitis vaccines, and instead planned to compare DNA samples collected from the program with the DNA of bin Laden's sister, who died in Boston in 2010.[1]

The program was ultimately unsuccessful. It led to the arrest of a participating physician, Shakil Afridi, and was widely ridiculed as undermining public health.[2] [3] The program is credited with increasing vaccine hesitancy in Pakistan[4] [5] [6] [7] and a rise in violence against healthcare workers for being perceived as spies.[8] The rise in vaccine hesitancy following the program led to the re-emergence of polio in Pakistan, with Pakistan having by far the largest number of polio cases in the world by 2014.[8]

Aftermath

In September of 2012, after working for 30 years in Pakistan, Save the Children was expelled.

In 2011, the program was condemned by Doctors without Borders. In Feb 2012, the program was condemned by the Non-governmental organization InterAction. On January 6, 2013, the deans of twelve American schools of public health sent a letter to Obama condemning the program.[9] [10]

On May 16, 2014, Lisa Monaco responded that vaccine programs would be excluded from espionage:[11] [12]

See also

Notes and References

  1. News: Shah . Saeed . CIA organised fake vaccination drive to get Osama bin Laden's family DNA . 26 August 2024 . The Guardian . 11 July 2011.
  2. Robbins . Anthony . The CIA's vaccination ruse . Journal of Public Health Policy . November 2012 . 33 . 4 . 387–389 . 10.1057/jphp.2012.37. 22932022 .
  3. News: Vavra . Shannon . CIA's Bin Laden Vaccine Ruse Haunts Public Health Efforts . 26 August 2024 . The Daily Beast . 24 December 2021 . en.
  4. Martinez-Bravo . Monica . Stegmann . Andreas . In Vaccines We Trust? The Effects of the CIA's Vaccine Ruse on Immunization in Pakistan . Journal of the European Economic Association . 16 February 2022 . 20 . 1 . 150–186 . 10.1093/jeea/jvab018 .
  5. News: CIA's hunt for Osama bin Laden fueled vaccine hesitancy in Pakistan . 26 August 2024 . New Scientist . May 11, 2021.
  6. News: Iqbal . Hala . How the CIA's fake Hepatitis B vaccine program in Pakistan helped fuel vaccine distrust . 26 August 2024 . Vox . 1 February 2021.
  7. Book: Ali . Inayat . Contesting Measles and Vaccination in Pakistan: Cultural Beliefs, Structured Vulnerabilities, Mistrust, and Geo-Politics . 29 August 2024 . Taylor & Francis . 978-1-000-89925-2 . 26 August 2024 . en.
  8. Polio eradication: the CIA and their unintended victims . The Lancet . May 2014 . 383 . 9932 . 1862 . 10.1016/S0140-6736(14)60900-4 . The Lancet . 24881975 .
  9. Web site: Buekens . Pierre M. . Curran . James W. . Klag letter to President Obama . 26 August 2024 . January 6, 2013. https://web.archive.org/web/20140602171121/https://www.jhsph.edu/news/news-releases/2013/Klag%20letter%20to%20President%20Obama.pdf . 2014-06-02 .
  10. News: CIA Vaccination Cover in Pakistan - Bloomberg School of Public Health . 26 August 2024 . John Hopkins . 8 January 2013 . en.
  11. News: After bin Laden backlash, CIA promises: No more vaccination campaigns for spying . 26 August 2024 . Yahoo News . 19 May 2014.
  12. News: Summers . Todd . Morrison . J. Stephen . Fake CIA Vaccine Campaign: When the End Doesn't Justify the Means . 26 August 2024 . www.csis.org . May 27, 2014 . en.

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