Ep 12. The End of Polio & Collateral Damage

In Vice season 4 episode 12 entitled "The End of Polio & Collateral Damage," Vice correspondent Isobel Yeung sets out to explore the final stages of a global fight to eradicate polio. With only a few remaining cases of the disease left in the world, Yeung follows a team of vaccinators in Pakistan as they work to immunize children against polio in the most remote and dangerous regions of the country, where attacks against vaccinators and healthcare workers have become increasingly frequent.

Yeung's journey takes her to areas of Pakistan where polio cases have recently emerged in unexpected places, such as in migrant communities where vaccination rates are low. She also meets with families whose children have been paralyzed by the disease, and hears from victims of violence against vaccination teams. Through her reporting, Yeung reveals the complex web of factors that have made the fight against polio so difficult - from religious and cultural beliefs that have led some to reject vaccination efforts, to extremist groups that have targeted healthcare workers and created a climate of fear and distrust.

Alongside this investigation, "The End of Polio & Collateral Damage" also explores the unintended consequences of the war on drugs in the United States. Correspondent Gianna Toboni travels to Florida, where she meets with families who have been affected by the growing use of fentanyl - a synthetic opioid that has been responsible for a skyrocketing number of overdose deaths around the country. Toboni speaks with police officers and drug treatment providers who are struggling to contain the epidemic, and investigates the role of pharmaceutical companies in the spread of the crisis.

As she digs deeper, Toboni uncovers a pattern of collateral damage resulting from overzealous law enforcement tactics. Police departments around the country have adopted aggressive tactics to crack down on drug crime, often at the expense of innocent bystanders who are caught up in the crossfire. Toboni speaks with victims of police raids who have lost their homes, their possessions, and sometimes even their lives in the war on drugs, and asks what can be done to address this growing crisis.

Together, "The End of Polio & Collateral Damage" offers a powerful and thought-provoking examination of two urgent issues facing our society today - public health and law enforcement - and the ways they intersect and interact with each other. With compelling reporting and thoughtful analysis, this episode of Vice sheds light on complex issues that are too often overlooked or misunderstood, and encourages viewers to think critically about the world around them.