Polio in Nigeria

Date: 31 July, 2004

Polio is a water-born disease that affects the nervous system and causes paralysis, deformation and sometimes death. This disease often affects young children, most recently in Sub-Saharan Africa.

Although the disease is considered rare, cases of polio increased in Nigeria and neighbouring countries after August 2003, when Muslim states like Kano banned the use of a polio vaccine, due to conspiracy theories that it would make the population infertile and spread AIDS.

However, after suspending the use of the vaccine in order to conduct safety tests, Kano Gov. Ibrahim Shekarau advocated the use of a vaccine in late July 2004, as it was developed by a UN-approved manufacturer in Muslim Indonesia.

In 2004, the number of polio cases in Nigeria increased to 430 cases from January- July, almost 90% of all worldwide cases at the time. Today, thanks to the re-issuing of the vaccine, this number has decreased to only 6 from January - July 2010.

References:

1. BBC 'Key Dates' (2004) Focus on Africa, October to December, v. 15 no. 4, p. 8
2. 'Nigerian state resumes polio vaccinations: 31 July 2004' [online] Available at: www.usatoday.com [Accessed 28 July 2010]
3. Wild Poliovirus Weekly Update [online] Available at: www.polioeradication.org [Accessed 28 July 2010]