News roundup [abridged versions appear in the paper journal]

West Africa polio campaign boycotted by Nigerian states

BMJ 2004; 328 doi: 10.1136/bmj.328.7438.485 (Published 27 February 2004)
Cite this as: BMJ 2004;328:485.1

Access to the full text of this article requires a subscription or payment. Please log in or subscribe below.

  1. Fiona Fleck
  1. Geneva

    A mass poliomyelitis vaccination campaign got under way on Monday to immunise 63 million children across west Africa but was boycotted by four predominantly Muslim states in Nigeria, where leaders claim the oral vaccine causes sterility and spreads AIDS.

    The west African campaign was intended as a final push to stamp out the disease in the region and is part of the World Health Organization's 15 year drive to halt transmission of the poliomyelitis virus across the world by 2005.

    Since its launch in 1988, the campaign has reduced the number of countries where polio is endemic from 125 …

    Access to the full text of this article requires a subscription or payment

    Subscribe

    Article access

    Article access for 1 day

    Purchase this article for £20 $30 €32*

    The PDF version can be downloaded as your personal record

    * Prices do not include VAT

    Rapid responses

    THIS WEEK'S POLL

    BMJ most popular