islamism and polio

Submitted by duncan (United Kingdom), May 8, 2014 at 15:56

I posted an excerpt for your article on

http://www.talkchess.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=52250&sid=21981916ae2a4976fa1c1c8d0a26bcac

and got the following response. please could you respond. thank you

duncan

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Something must be wrong here. I think the WHO has just declared polio eradicated in India (which should be recognized as a monumental achievement given the size and conditions of that country):
http://edition.cnn.com/2014/03/22/health/india-end-of-polio/

India was one of the world's endemic polio regions, as still are Pakistan and Afghanistan - meaning that in these countries it is homegrown and not imported from Nigeria. Egypt, too, is not a Nigerian victim, since polio in Egypt traces back to Pakistan. The same probably applies to Syria.

Very unfortunately, a number of third-world countries have been targets for Western pharma companies to carry out drug testing of all kinds, so the nerve touched by this Nigerian religious kook found more resonance than it would have otherwise. The USA (via CIA) has also cynically misused vaccination campaigns for its own ends, e.g. in Pakistan. Conspiracy theories yes, but not entirely without a basis in reality.

Anti-vaxxers are a global phenomenon - we also have them here in Switzerland. It's easy to find groups everywhere (in the USA for example) contending that vaccination is a plot to sterilize people. Usually (but not exclusively) they are religious fringe groups that exist among all major religions. But even the Afghan Talibans have come to accept polio vaccination. So have Christian Science adherents, Jehova's Witnesses, Latter Day Saints etc.

The Dutch Reformed Churches of Holland and South Africa, however, have remained adamant in their murderous beliefs.

It's a little more complicated than the professional Muslim hater Pipes wants you to believe. Don't trust this guy too much.

G.M.

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