Rumor, Fear and Fatigue Hinder Final Push to End Polio

This article details the challenges that are faced in the global effort to eradicate polio. It has been nearly 18 years since public health officials and volunteers worldwide committed to eliminating polio from the planet by the year 2000. So far the incidence of the disease has been cut by 99 percent, but the total eradication has yet to be accomplished.

According to the author, rumours and fear have played a large role in stemming the fight against the disease. In Nigeria, rumours that the vaccine was part of a Western tool to sterilise Muslims halted the vaccination campaign in 2003. This led to the re-emergence and re-introduction of polio into polio-free countries in Africa, the Middle East and Asia. In India, vaccinators face similar problems with families turning away volunteers because of the fear that the vaccine would sterilise or sicken their children. As of March 2006, cases have been reported in India, Nigeria, Somalia, Niger, Afghanistan, Bangladesh and Indonesia.

Other challenges in completely eradicating the disease include cultural suspicions, logistical nightmares, competition for resources from many other afflictions, and simple exhaustion. Resistance has persisted where services are weakest and distrust of public officials deepest.