The Johns Hopkins School of Public Health reported that the “Deans of twelve of the most eminent American schools of public health sent a letter to President Barack Obama vigorously protesting the precedent that was set when the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) used the guise of a vaccination campaign to hunt for Osama Bin Laden in Pakistan.” The announcement noted that “this disguising of an intelligence-gathering effort as a humanitarian public health service has resulted in serious collateral consequences that affect the public health community. In September of 2012, after working for 30 years in Pakistan, Save the Children was ordered to remove all expatriate staff from the country…Last month, eight polio vaccination workers were assassinated, resulting in the suspension of U.N. polio eradication efforts in Pakistan.”

The letter expresses concern that the “humanitarian space” historically afforded aid workers may be greatly curtailed by the precedent set by the CIA in Pakistan. The deans state that, “international public health work builds peace and is one of the most constructive means by which our past, present, and future public health students can pursue a life of fulfillment and service.  Please do not allow that outlet of common good to be closed to them because of political and/or security interests that ignore the type of unintended negative public health impacts we are witnessing in Pakistan.” Those signing the letter included Deans: Buekens from Tulane, Curran from Emory, Finnegan from Univ. of Minnesota, Frenk from Harvard, Fried from Columbia, Frumkin from Univ. of Washington, Goldman from George Washington, Haymann from UCLA, Klag from John Hopkins, Philbert from Univ. of Michigan, Rimer from UNC Chapel Hill, and Shortell from UC Berkeley.

January 8, 2013

http://www.jhsph.edu/news/news-releases/2013/klag-CIA-vaccination-cover-pakistan.html