The killing of Osama bin Laden in 2011 was hailed as a success in the worldwide fight against extremism, however it dealt a blow to another battle being waged against polio. US operatives attempted to identify the al-Qaeda leader by sending a vaccination program to his compound, and when this news broke, such programs in the region became the focus of increased suspicion.
Over 100 polio workers and doctors were killed or wounded in Afghanistan alone after the raid. Since then, the eradication efforts have faced incredible difficulty, with many Afghans believing that vaccination teams are US spies involved in malicious operations against them.
With this in mind, it might come as a surprise to hear that the Taliban in Afghanistan have joined the fight against polio.
Their cooperation is vital to the effort, which is why this news is being hailed as a huge step forward in the eradication of the crippling disease. This week, Bloomberg reported that the group “is working alongside local and international health authorities to wipe out the last vestiges of polio, marshalling thousands of people to immunize vulnerable children.”
The Taliban reportedly has only agreed to participate if their own people carry out the work in their areas of control.
Unfortunately, there is another player in the fight: Daesh.
Daesh is allegedly hindering vaccination efforts in Afghanistan by spreading rumors that health workers work for Western intelligence agencies, and that vaccines cause infertility and contain pork products.
This year marks the lowest global rate of polio we've seen in history, Bloomberg reports, with remaining pockets left only in areas still too difficult for aid workers ton distribute vaccines. If such areas actually became accessible, health workers say the disease could be completely wiped out by the end of next year. But with groups like Daesh standing in the way, there's still a lot of roadblocks until that goal.
