Written by Rebecca Oxtot
Edited by Akshar Patel and Annika Lilja
On September 17th, 2024 the Taliban suspended the World Health Organization's, or WHO’s, upcoming vaccination program in Afghanistan. This is the most recent development in the ongoing fight against polio; which remains endemic in only Afghanistan and Pakistan (WHO). The UN report did not provide an explanation for the suspension, but the Taliban, the militant group currently in control of much of Afghanistan, has maintained a complex relationship with the vaccine for over a decade.
Following the terrorist attack of 9/11, the CIA recruited a Pakistani doctor to organize a vaccine drive in Abbottabad, Pakistan as a ploy to locate Osama Bin Laden. By gathering local children's DNA during vaccination, they hoped to match it to his sister’s DNA to confirm the presence of Osama Bin Laden’s family in the area (The Guardian). Once Pakistani intelligence uncovered this operation in 2012, the Taliban banned vaccination operations in the tribal belt along the Pakistan-Afghanistan border, where the CIA operation took place (New York Times). Additionally, the conspiracy theory that the vaccinations were a Western attempt to sterilize Muslim children, which had been reported by news outlets such as the New York Times since 2006, was fueled. This led to some parents with access to the vaccine denying it to their children (France 24). In an interview with the New York Times, Dr. Elias Durry, the World Health Organization’s Polio Coordinator for Pakistan, stated that “It was a setback, no doubt,” yet, he didn’t believe it would seriously affect the polio program. Two years later, a White House official stated the CIA will no longer use vaccine programs as a cover for spy operations, as a result of medical professionals' concerns that it fosters distrust towards legitimate vaccination (NPR).
As the U.S. continued to fight the Taliban for control over Afghanistan, the administration of the vaccine remained controversial. In 2018, the Taliban banned door-to-door vaccination programs within much of the territory they controlled, linking it to security threats (WHO). These bans on door-to-door vaccinations, along with the war-inflicted humanitarian crisis and the distrust towards medical personnel, resulted in 3.4 million children being missed in the National Immunization Campaign (UNICEF).
The Taliban’s vaccination policy changed drastically after the U.S. withdrew from Afghanistan in 2021. After recovering control over most of Afghanistan, the Taliban worked with the WHO on multiple house-to-house polio vaccination campaigns, targeting 9.9 million children. This resulted in 2021 being the lowest polio transmission year in Afghanistan (WHO). Despite the success of the vaccination initiatives, they were also marked by intense opposition. Five humanitarian workers were killed by an extremist attack in northern Afghanistan (UN), and an additional eight health workers were killed by separate attacks (Radio Free Europe). No group has taken responsibility for the attacks. Until September of 2024, the Taliban continued cooperation with the WHO in polio vaccination distribution.
But in September 2024, it was announced that the Taliban canceled the upcoming vaccination program. No reason was given. Dr. Hamid Jafari, WHO Director of Polio Eradication in the Eastern Mediterranean region, said, “The Global Polio Eradication Initiative is aware of the recent policy discussions on shifting from house-to-house polio vaccination campaigns to site-to-site vaccination in parts of Afghanistan," implying this was the reason for the program's suspension (PBS).
In an interview with the Guardian, a health official involved with the campaign reported that the Taliban was concerned about revealing their location to foreign threats, contributing to their talks of shifting from house-to-house vaccination to a mosque-based system. The official voiced concern over this idea, as it may hinder their ability to reach their goal of distributing vaccinations to 95% of children. It is yet to be seen how or if UN-supported vaccination initiatives will proceed in Afghanistan.
The joint effort of the Taliban and the WHO in polio vaccination is crucial to the containment of the disease, and the efficiency of house-to-house immunization is supported by the 2021 programs’ results. However, as of now, foreignly administered vaccination remains controversial amongst Afghan groups, and WHO officials have suggested that the Taliban has postponed operations due to perceived security threats. Understanding the causes of skepticism towards UN vaccination operations, such as the CIA’s post-9/11 espionage, can aid in finding a path toward a polio-free Afghanistan.
Sources:
“Afghanistan makes progress toward polio eradication but challenges remain.” World Health Organization, Aug. 15, 2022.
“Afghanistan; Polio Eradication Initiative.” World Health Organization, Dec. 31, 2018.
Butt, Riazat. “UN; Taliban suspended polio vaccination campaigns in Afghanistan.” Public Broadcasting Service News, Sep. 16, 2024.
Chappell, Bill. “CIA Says It Will No Longer Use Vaccine Programs As Cover.” National Public Radio, May 20, 2014.
Dugger, Celia and Donald Mcneil. “Rumor, Fear, and Fatigue Hinder Final Push to End Polio.” New York Times, March 20, 2006. https://www.nytimes.com/2006/03/20/world/asia/rumor-fear-and-fatigue-hinder-final-push-to-end-polio.html
“Eight Polio Workers Killed in Attacks in Afghanistan.” Radio Free Europe, February 25, 2022. https://www.rferl.org/a/polio-vaccine-workers-killed-afghanistan/31722562.html
“Five polio vaccination workers shot dead in Afghanistan; UN condemns ‘brutal’ killings.” United Nations: Global perspective Human stories, May 12, 2021. https://news.un.org/en/story/2021/06/1094062
“In Afghanistan, conspiracy theories fuel polio outbreak.” France 24, June 14, 2019.
McNeil, Donald. ¨C.I.A. Vaccine Ruse in Pakistan May Have Harmed Polio Fight.¨ New York Times, July 9, 2012.
“Polio eradication; Reaching every child in Afghanistan with polio vaccines.” UNICEF https://www.unicef.org/afghanistan/polio-eradication Accessed Oct. 4, 2024.
Shah, Saheed. “CIA organised fake vaccination drive to get Osama Bin Laden’s family DNA.” The Guardian, July 2011.
“Taliban backs WHO polio vaccination campaign across Afghanistan next month.” United Nations: Global perspective Human stories, Oct. 18, 2021.
Walsh, Declan. “Taliban Block Vaccinations in Pakistan.” The New York Times, June 18, 2012.