In January 2018, a criminal leader in Rio de Janeiro did something as unusual as it was contradictory: he held two nurses hostage to force them to vaccinate the residents of the favela where he operated against yellow fever.
Thomas Vieira Gomes, known as 2N, arrived at a vaccination post with members of his group, took several doses and took the two health professionals to the community of Salgueiro. There, they forced the nurses to vaccinate neighbors who needed protection for about two hours against the yellow fever outbreak affecting Brazil.
After the improvised campaign ended, the nurses were taken back to their workplace. According to their own accounts, the men were not aggressive toward them during the procedure.
The case drew particular attention because of the unusual circumstances: a criminal leader wanted by the authorities had used a kidnapping to ensure that his community received a vaccine it needed.