Thanks to Taliban, polio returns to North Waziristan

[I AM NOT THAT GUY 5,715]

Only one disease has been eradicated world-wide. Smallpox. Other diseases may be eradicated from certain countries or regions but until they are eradicated world-wide they can, and have been, re-introduced into areas that had gotten rid of them. Ignorance and superstition are major impediments to progress, both here as well as in places like Pakistan. It is no coincidence that religious conservatism and fundamentalism often seem associated with the same areas having problems with these easily preventable diseases. I agree that those parents who elect not to vaccinate their children are both stupid and, in that area, bad parents!

Some of those diseases and potential diseases exist in the environment and will never be completely eradicated. Polio is particularly virulent, and keeps finding its way back here and there, especially in some of the backwater areas. Universal immunization is the only way to control it.

[I AM NOT THAT GUY 5,715]

For years and years, the vaccine program was pure. Then the CIA thing with dr Afridi happened, and destroyed that track record. That's one of the reasons why the WHO and drs without borders et al were so pissed-that credibility they had worked for years to earn was seriously damaged.

Exactly. That is an old lesson, for instance, you don't use firefighting equipment for crowd control, unless you want firemen to become targets as well. The intention of Red Cross/Crescent/Star was to make medical personnel non-combatants. In effect, the way they went after Bin Laden violated that trust and the administration could possibly be charged with crimes against humanity in the ICJ, but it wouldn't matter, since the US does not recognize the authority of that body.

[sandinista! 1,816]

I just posted a link that The Taliban in Afghanistan is beginning to put a stop to the vaccinations as well. Very recent article. Pakistan, Afghanistan, whatever. The Taliban knows no borders.

In a remote region of about 100K people, in a country of over 30 million, some foreigners have been stepping in trying to put a stop to the vaccine program that the Taliban spokesman quoted in the article supports.

And it's news to UNICEF.

"The UN, which helps organise the national vaccination programme, said the Afghan Taliban had not generally tried to prevent healthcare workers reaching children.

"We have not faced any policy level resistance from the Taliban," said Vidhya Ganesh, deputy representative for Unicef in Afghanistan.

"Usually it's local negotiations, local issues which we can resolve through our interlocutors in the community. Over the last year access has actually been improving quite well," she added."

I'm taking Taliban spokesman guy with a big grain of salt, but can see no possible reason for a UNICEF rep to understate the seriousness or implications of this, or be a Taliban cheerleader here, but whatever.

Exactly. That is an old lesson, for instance, you don't use firefighting equipment for crowd control, unless you want firemen to become targets as well. The intention of Red Cross/Crescent/Star was to make medical personnel non-combatants. In effect, the way they went after Bin Laden violated that trust and the administration could possibly be charged with crimes against humanity in the ICJ, but it wouldn't matter, since the US does not recognize the authority of that body.

Oh quit, you taliban lover, you.

[sandinista! 1,816]

Some of those diseases and potential diseases exist in the environment and will never be completely eradicated. Polio is particularly virulent, and keeps finding its way back here and there, especially in some of the backwater areas. Universal immunization is the only way to control it.

Polio being an enterovirus, in places where people are in frequent contact with sewage, the huge number of doses required for immunity in those locations, the ability for the vaccine virus to sometimes, though rarely revert to wild type virus, and it's one in a million frequency of causing paralysis when tens of millions of kids are getting about ten doses of the vaccine all contribute too. 250-500 cases of vaccine related paralysis occur every year, and it sucks, even though in 2013 it is still the absolute best way to prevent polio outbreaks that would be far more catastrophic.

There's no doubt though, that that would all contribute to the paranoia too. It's easy to feel smug here--my kids all got inactivated polio vaccine, which carries far far less risk. But other people have to grapple with bigger risks and higher stakes for polio vaccination.

[Hilarious Clinton 452]

_____, taking us back to the 7th century.