How a CIA trap for Bin Laden led to vaccine hesitancy in Pakistan
How a CIA trap for Bin Laden l.
The CIA used a free vaccination campaign as a way to obtain samples of children s DNA that could be used to confirm Bin Laden s presence 1/1
The CIA used a free vaccination campaign as a way to obtain samples of children s DNA that could be used to confirm Bin Laden s presence
A new study from a pair of European researchers has found a covert CIA plot to capture Osama Bin Laden in early 2011 led to significant drops in vaccination rates in Pakistan. The plot, using a fake vaccination campaign to capture children’s DNA samples in order to locate Bin Laden, was used in anti-vaccine propaganda in the following years.
The Tragic True Story Of The CIA s Fake Vaccination Campaign
By Marina Manoukian/Jan. 28, 2021 12:24 pm EDT/Updated: Jan. 28, 2021 12:24 pm EDT
Although the CIA isn t entirely to blame for the fact that wild polio remains endemic in Pakistan, they certainly didn t help the situation when they tried to use a fake hepatitis B vaccination program to capture Osama bin Laden. And even though their plan didn t exactly work as intended, it was effective enough to lead to a distrust of healthcare workers working to administer polio vaccines, per
As The Poynter Institute tells it, the situation was first reported by Saeed Shah, a Pakistani journalist, who claimed that the CIA and the State Department tried to stop him from publishing the story. The operation even reportedly used the Save the Children charity as a front, which goes against the CIA regulation that prohibits it from using American companies as fronts, although foreign companies are considered fair game.