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Article: War on polio obstructed by radical clerics Health With the disease on the verge of defeat, two Nigerian states say vaccines are a plot to sterilise African girls and spread HIV
- Article from:
- The Independent on Sunday (London, England)
- Article date:
- March 21, 2004
- Author:
CopyrightCopyright 2004 The Independent on Sunday. Provided by ProQuest LLC. (Hide copyright information)
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The worldwide campaign to eradicate polio, which is a whisker from
total success, is being threatened by northern Nigerian states that
claim the vaccines are part of a sinister Western plot to sterilise
African girls.
Politicians and radical Muslim clerics in Kano and Zamfara states
have banned World Health Organization polio vaccines, which they
insist could help spread HIV and contain hormones that cause
infertility. Last week the Nigerian government published a study that
refuted their claims. A day later, the Kano government reiterated its
ban.
The row has dealt a blow to a massive, 16-year WHO immunisation
campaign, and has already taken a human toll. Over 400 Nigerian
children have ...