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Indian Express
9 hours ago
- Indian Express
How a CIA operation stopped Pakistanis from getting vaccinated against polio
In the dry, mountainous district of North Waziristan, 19-month-old Ahmad became Pakistan's 14th confirmed polio case of 2025. His diagnosis, reported on July 1 by the National Institute of Health in Islamabad, pushed the year's total in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province to eight. That figure may seem small, but it's a grim reminder: Pakistan remains one of only two countries in the world where polio is still endemic. Pakistan has fought hard against polio, slashing cases by over 99 per cent, according to Federal Health Minister Syed Mustafa Kamal. Decades of door-to-door vaccination drives, brave health workers, and global support have pushed the virus to the brink of extinction. But the fight isn't just against a disease. It's against poverty, conflict, and a lingering wound inflicted by a CIA operation more than a decade ago. In 2011, a shocking secret came to light: the CIA had used a fake vaccination campaign in Abbottabad, Pakistan, to hunt for Osama bin Laden. It was a move no one saw coming, and its fallout would ripple for years. Reports from The Guardian and The New York Times revealed that the CIA, desperate to confirm if bin Laden was hiding in a local compound, enlisted a Pakistani doctor named Shakil Afridi. His job? Run a pretend hepatitis B vaccination drive for kids in the area. But the needles weren't just for vaccines—they were a cover to collect DNA samples, likely through blood or saliva, from children near the compound. The hope was to match the samples to DNA from bin Laden's sister, who'd died in the US the year before, to prove if her brother—the elusive 'Pacer' the CIA was tracking—was really there. The mission worked; Bin Laden was killed. But America's success came at Pakistan's cost. Once news spread of the fake vaccination campaign, the backlash was swift and far-reaching. Many Pakistanis saw the episode as confirmation of their worst suspicions: that Western aid programs could be Trojan horses for intelligence operations. Public trust in vaccination campaigns, already fragile in parts of the country due to conspiracy theories and religious opposition, was severely damaged. 'Release of this information has had a disastrous effect on worldwide eradication of infectious diseases, especially polio,' The Lancet later reported. Militant groups used the episode to reinforce conspiracy theories that vaccinations were a Western plot. In the years since, polio workers have been targeted by extremists, forced to operate under armed escort. In Balochistan last November, a bomb tore through a police escort for vaccinators, killing nine, including five children. In Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, 20 health workers and guards have been killed in similar attacks. The violence forced groups like the UN to pause vaccination efforts, leaving millions of children unprotected. As the violence increased, so did mistrust. According to Dawn, Pakistan's leading English daily, the numbers from recent immunisation drives are staggering. 'Khyber Pakhtunkhwa reported 19,070 refusals against oral polio vaccine in February,' the paper reported. Additionally, nearly 100,000 children were simply not home when health workers came – possibly because parents intentionally kept them away. A study by researchers Monica Martinez-Bravo and Andreas Stegmann showed how the CIA's ruse gutted vaccination rates. In areas with strong support for extremist groups, vaccinations for polio dropped 28 percent, measles 39 per cent, and other diseases 23 per cent following the revelations. In some Taliban-controlled regions, vaccines were banned outright. The CIA's promise in 2014 to never again use health programs for spying came too late. The damage was done. Vaccination refusal became ideological. This growing mistrust has left the last mile of eradication out of reach. Meanwhile, attacks on health workers have become routine. Fear stalks every door-to-door visit. Paranoia thrives in the absence of trust. And a virus that should have been confined to history now clings to life—in part because public health was once used as a weapon of war.
Time of India
a day ago
- Time of India
Why should children sit down on the floor and eat food: 5 stellar benefits
Recently, a Bengaluru based nutritionist's ( post grabbed attention, in which she spoke about Baby led weaning (BLW-offering your child finger food that they can eat on their own). For this, she put up a video in which her child is eating on her own on a high chair, but so is her househelp's child, but on the floor. While her idea was to talk about how BLW is part of our Indian tradition, she was brutally trolled for making her househelp's kid sit on the floor. However, the trolling apart, many users commented that sitting on the floor is actually beneficial for a child, though it might sound a little unconventional to the Western world. Here is how eating on the floor can support your child's development. Enhances Sensory Development Eating on the floor allows children to see and feel food "upfront". This "food play" is incredibly beneficial for sensory development. Children can explore different textures, colors, shapes, and smells of food items, which acts as a sensory playground . Squishing, squeezing, and manipulating food helps strengthen hand-eye coordination and fine motor skills. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Giao dịch CFD với công nghệ và tốc độ tốt hơn IC Markets Đăng ký Undo For picky eaters, this can actually be quite helpful. By interacting with food, children can gradually become more comfortable with unfamiliar foods, which they were earlier too anxious to try. This exploration activity encourages independence and self-feeding skills, as children naturally use their hands to eat. Betters posture Traditional high chairs, especially those without proper footrests, can be uncomfortable for kids. When children's feet dangle in the air, they have to use their core muscles to stabilize, leading to tiredness and potentially eating less. Eating on the floor, particularly in positions like crossing their legs, can naturally promote better posture. It also opens the children's hip joints, and provides more flexibility to their pelvis and legs . This ergonomic position can reduce fatigue, improve attention during mealtime, and even decrease the risk of choking. This apart, it also strengthens finger and hand muscles, essential for fine motor skills, and builds muscles in the mouth, tongue, and jaw, which are important for eating, drinking, and speaking. Makes them independent When children eat on the floor, they often have more freedom to explore food at their own pace, without someone nagging them. This environment naturally encourages them to develop independence and self-feeding skills . They learn to gauge their hunger, and eat accordingly, preventing overeating. Allowing children to have this control over their eating process helps them build confidence in their abilities. This is crucial for overall development, teaching them not only about nutrition but also about mealtime behavior and responsibility . Improves Communication Mealtime is an excellent opportunity for interaction, and eating on the floor as a family can really strengthen family bonds. This experience makes conversations easy, fostering improved language and communication skills. Children can learn new vocabulary related to food, colors, textures, and tastes. Additionally this technique promotes cooperation and sharing with siblings, and friends. Making mealtimes a fun and relaxed activity by allowing exploration also develops a child's interest in eating, encouraging happy and healthy habits . Boosts Creativity Embracing messy mealtimes (yes, messy is good!) and floor eating can truly foster creativity and imagination. When children are given the freedom to play with their food, their creativity really improves, and this imaginative play stimulates their artistic side and encourages problem-solving skills. Just make sure the floor is clean and sanitized, when your child sits down for a meal, since there will be inadvertent spills that can be cleaned up later.
Time of India
a day ago
- Time of India
5 benefits of sitting and eating on the floor for kids
Recently, a Bengaluru based nutritionist's ( post grabbed attention, in which she spoke about Baby led weaning (BLW-offering your child finger food that they can eat on their own). For this, she put up a video in which her child is eating on her own on a high chair, but so is her househelp's child, but on the floor. While her idea was to talk about how BLW is part of our Indian tradition, she was brutally trolled for making her househelp's kid sit on the floor. However, the trolling apart, many users commented that sitting on the floor is actually beneficial for a child, though it might sound a little unconventional to the Western world. Here is how eating on the floor can support your child's development. Enhances Sensory Development Eating on the floor allows children to see and feel food "upfront". This "food play" is incredibly beneficial for sensory development. Children can explore different textures, colors, shapes, and smells of food items, which acts as a sensory playground . Squishing, squeezing, and manipulating food helps strengthen hand-eye coordination and fine motor skills. For picky eaters, this can actually be quite helpful. By interacting with food, children can gradually become more comfortable with unfamiliar foods, which they were earlier too anxious to try. This exploration activity encourages independence and self-feeding skills, as children naturally use their hands to eat. Betters posture Traditional high chairs, especially those without proper footrests, can be uncomfortable for kids. When children's feet dangle in the air, they have to use their core muscles to stabilize, leading to tiredness and potentially eating less. Eating on the floor, particularly in positions like crossing their legs, can naturally promote better posture. It also opens the children's hip joints, and provides more flexibility to their pelvis and legs . This ergonomic position can reduce fatigue, improve attention during mealtime, and even decrease the risk of choking. This apart, it also strengthens finger and hand muscles, essential for fine motor skills, and builds muscles in the mouth, tongue, and jaw, which are important for eating, drinking, and speaking. Makes them independent When children eat on the floor, they often have more freedom to explore food at their own pace, without someone nagging them. This environment naturally encourages them to develop independence and self-feeding skills . They learn to gauge their hunger, and eat accordingly, preventing overeating. Allowing children to have this control over their eating process helps them build confidence in their abilities. This is crucial for overall development, teaching them not only about nutrition but also about mealtime behavior and responsibility . Improves Communication Mealtime is an excellent opportunity for interaction, and eating on the floor as a family can really strengthen family bonds. This experience makes conversations easy, fostering improved language and communication skills. Children can learn new vocabulary related to food, colors, textures, and tastes. Additionally this technique promotes cooperation and sharing with siblings, and friends. Making mealtimes a fun and relaxed activity by allowing exploration also develops a child's interest in eating, encouraging happy and healthy habits . Boosts Creativity Embracing messy mealtimes (yes, messy is good!) and floor eating can truly foster creativity and imagination. When children are given the freedom to play with their food, their creativity really improves, and this imaginative play stimulates their artistic side and encourages problem-solving skills. Just make sure the floor is clean and sanitized, when your child sits down for a meal, since there will be inadvertent spills that can be cleaned up later.
