The CIA’s plot to launch a vaccination drive to help track down Osama bin Laden gave rise to lingering suspicion of vaccine workers, hampering vaccination efforts.
As first reported by the Guardian, the CIA in 2011 sought to confirm bin Laden’s suspected location by having a doctor administer vaccines to individuals inside his compound and analyze the DNA on the syringes. While the doctor was not able to enter the compound, he did obtain information that helped confirm bin Laden‘s presence. The compound was later raided and bin Laden was assassinated.
After the plot was exposed, villagers chased off vaccine workers, the Taliban banned polio vaccinations in parts of Pakistan and nine vaccine workers were killed in Pakistan, leading the U.N. to withdraw its vaccination teams from the country.
In 2012, polio rebounded in numerous Pakistani regions. Polio continues to be a problem in Pakistan.