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The proverbial elephant in the room when discussing problems facing the drive to eradicate polio is the role of Muslim boycotts on the basis of various conspiracy theories validated (or not dismissed) by local clerics; it is quite underrepresented as a contributing factor in this article. "Experts weigh giving up on killing polio," by Maria Cheng for AP:
LONDON - Nearly 20 years ago, the World Health Organization and its partners launched an ambitious program to eradicate polio by the end of the millennium. That deadline passed and another was missed in 2005 — and polio still strikes about 2,000 people a year, mostly children.
At a WHO meeting this week, some leading experts asked a grim question: Is it time to abandon the goal of eradication and focus instead on containing the disease? The answer, for most, was no — even though many had doubts.
"Even if things quiet down in the countries where we have problems, there will be another area that bursts into flames," said Dr. Ellie Ehrenfeld, who sits on the WHO Advisory Committee for Polio Eradication.
[...]
In a speech to participants, WHO Director-General Dr. Margaret Chan urged participants not to give up.
"We are facing our best and perhaps our last chance to eradicate polio," she said, adding that leaving the job unfinished would squander the more than $5 billion invested so far because it would open the way for a resurgence of the disease.
The four polio-endemic countries — Afghanistan, India, Nigeria and Pakistan — are also intent on ridding the world of the virus.
"We will spare no effort in eradicating polio," said Naresh Dayal of India's Ministry of Health and Welfare. This year, India will spend $286 million to fight the polio virus.
"While eradication is possible, we shouldn't even consider moving to a control strategy," said Dayal.
[...]
Different problems plague the four endemic countries: In Nigeria, the weak health system coupled with a vaccine boycott in some areas gets the blame; in Afghanistan and Pakistan, the virus moves back and forth across the border where the official focus is on the war on terror; in India, children are often infected with other viruses, making the polio vaccine less effective.
No mention of the recent boycott and murder of a health official in Pakistan over the vaccine.
Posted by Marisol at March 3, 2007 7:07 AM
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it seems the four countries, three of the four have majority muslims, and India has the largest number of muslims. could it be islaaaaam? no say it aint so.. islaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaam!
they do love their children, ie, in bomb belts, crippled by disease, etc .
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at March 3, 2007 7:54 AM
Glad India is going to do something.They should deport/isolate people who don't want to be vaccinated.
As for the other countries: is there no end to islamic stupidity?
We should mention vaccinations on passports, ID cards etc. Keep the disease out of countries who are trying to eradicate it.
We don't need to go backwards.
at March 3, 2007 8:01 AM
Sounds like it's Islam that's hazardous to your health. But how does one get innoculated against it? Maybe by reading JW.
Posted by: jewdog at March 3, 2007 8:06 AM
The press didn't have much trouble mentioning it when some Christians opposed the HPV vaccine on "moral" grounds. Wonder why the difference?
Posted by: prbl at March 3, 2007 8:10 AM
How did the Islamic countries handle smallpox? As late as the 1970s smallpox vaccinations were recommended for anyone traveling to Turkey. How did we ever eradicate smallpox?
Posted by: PMK at March 3, 2007 8:58 AM
The discovery of a vaccine that could eradicate the ever growing scourge of polio was one of the greatest medical break throughs in the 20th century.
The world owes a great debt of gratitude to Dr. Jonas Salk who pioneered the technique which was similar to the scientific advancement that helped to eradicate smallpox. I can clearly remember the concerns that raged in America about the ever increasing polio cases in the early fifties. In 1955 the salk medicine had been determined to be completley successful and the American people, including myself where all given the treatment in lines all over the country that year. The annual cases of polio in the US dropped from 45,000 to less than 900 in less than 18 months after the introduction of the Salk vaccine. Dr. Salk established his labratory in La Jolla ,California where it operates today in efforts to eradicate other diseases.
Posted by: Mackie at March 3, 2007 9:30 AM
This is a golden opportunity for the CIA or the Mossad to inflict real damage on the Islamic crazies. All the CIA needs to do is to start rumors among fundamentalist Islamic populations (like the Pashtun for example) that ALL Western medicines are "poisoned by the Jews."
It is a crime that the West is spending billions of dollars to cure and prevent diseases in the Islamic world.
Posted by: george_rem at March 3, 2007 10:00 AM
You just have to find the wing of the right fly and dip it into your drink.
Otherwise: "Just think of it as evolution in action." Jerry Pournelle
at March 3, 2007 10:27 AM
Put the blessed vaccine into an oral tablet and give it to people as sugar for easy 3rd world sake tea.
5 billion dollars and the governmetn dufus brigade can't figure out how to out smart people with no education.
Posted by: Lame Cherry at March 3, 2007 12:26 PM
January 12, 2004
Nigerian Imams: polio vaccine is an American plot
........
"They vowed to preach against polio vaccinations as long as the United States pays for them, even though it puts their own children at risk. 'People believe that America hates Muslims, and so whatever comes from the United States, no matter how good it is, people will reject it,' said Sheik Muhammed Nasir Muhammed, the chief imam at the second largest mosque in Kano, the Muslim political center in northern Nigeria."
So can we PLEASE stop giving ANY kind of aid to Muslim-dominated countries for all time?
at March 3, 2007 12:38 PM
Mackie is right. I too remember the pre-Salk-vaccine days. I should like to add that both Salk and Sabin (developer of the next and better vaccine) were Jews. A recent news item informed us that a few Iraqi (Arab, Muslim) children have been flown to an Israeli hospital for heart operations. How come they went there and not to a hospital in a Muslim-majority country?
As I've said on this site before, if the Jew-hating Muslims were consistent, they would eschew all the medical inventions and discoveries made by Jews. The Muslim population in the world would then be much, much smaller than it is.
Posted by: Aileen at March 3, 2007 12:59 PM
"A recent news item informed us that a few Iraqi (Arab, Muslim) children have been flown to an Israeli hospital for heart operations. How come they went there and not to a hospital in a Muslim-majority country?"
Aileen,
They must have been the "moderates". Either that or they were the Christians.
at March 3, 2007 1:45 PM
"a vaccine boycott"
This is just one more example that I need to include in my new book, "This Doesn't Make Sense: The Muslim Mindset".
You can lead a horse to water....but then there's always a Muslim who wants to poison the water.
Posted by: champ at March 3, 2007 1:57 PM
"it seems the four countries, three of the four have majority muslims, and India has the largest number of muslims. could it be islaaaaam? no say it aint so.. islaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaam!"
I can tell you how to get muslims to take the polio vaccine:
Spread the word that the Jews are trying to prevent the vaccine from reaching the worldwide Muslim community because it might save Muslim lives.
I guarantee anyone refusing the vaccine will be labeled an apostate and Zionist.
Posted by: rational at March 3, 2007 2:57 PM
If they hate everything from the west then we need to just stop giving it to them.
Why should the western world carry the load of trying to give education and medicine to people who hate us and don't want it anyway. No more technology, no more medicine, no more food, and certainly no more money.
Cut em off. Completely off.
at March 3, 2007 4:00 PM
"So can we PLEASE stop giving ANY kind of aid to Muslim-dominated countries for all time?"
This was my first thought as well, PMK. If MME (Muslim Middle East) countries do not vigorously interdict imams and clerics who interfere with polio eradication, then all financial aid should be cut off, along with international travel to those destinations.
A total embargo, including any trade, would bring these Islamic morons to their senses faster than the Devil can get his shoes on.
Posted by: Zenster at March 3, 2007 4:12 PM
I agree, if stupidity runs Islamic countries then leave them alone with their stupidity. Seal them off, so they can live wishing the infirmities away.
Posted by: Jeff at March 3, 2007 7:55 PM
Murdering the health official is not much different than murdering the tourists....the message is the same .... ''Go away''
....we should continue to have the vaccines availiable but in no way should we try to force vaccinations in those regions where they kill the health officials who are there only to help save people from dreadful disease..(in most cases the health officials are volunteers and receiving little pay)...One way to overcome this insanity is to outlaw Islam, ban the Qur'an, disable the stupid Islamic clerics stranglehold on the people....and until then
Ban Muslim Immigration.....
at March 4, 2007 10:53 AM
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