The Guardian: Polio in Afghanistan: ‘Americans bomb our children daily, why would they care?’
“Just over a fortnight ago, a 14-month-old girl in the Afghan province of Kunduz was diagnosed with polio. Within days, the Taliban granted health workers access to parts of northern Afghanistan for the first time in 15 months, enabling them to resume a polio vaccination program. Until it was blocked, leaving about 170,000 children in Kunduz province without inoculations, the scheme had almost eradicated the disabling viral disease in Afghanistan. But polio can spread quickly, with even a single case potentially enough to widen the disease’s footprint. … Speaking to the Guardian, [Taliban health chief in the province, Qari] Bashir confirmed his demand for a clinic but said there were other concerns. Chief among them was a suspicion among villagers that polio teams could be infiltrated by spies…” (Rasmussen/Tasal, 4/10).