New Polio Immunization Drive to Start in Nigeria's Kano Stat

 

By Nico Colombant

World Health Organization officials say the northern Nigerian state of Kano will start a catch-up polio immunization campaign Saturday, ending an 11-month religious-led boycott¹. The start of the new drive has already been delayed, and there is still opposition² from radical³ Islamic clerics who say the vaccine⁴ is tainted⁵.

The reason for the new delay was logistical.

Kano Governor Ibrahim Shekarau was late in getting back from a trip to Brazil this week, forcing the cancellation⁶ of a planned ceremony Thursday, which would have restarted immunization in the state. The governor's two-month old daughter will be the first to get a dose of the oral vaccine.

An organizer of the campaign for the Geneva-based World Health Organization, David Heymann, says it's crucial Kano does finally resume vaccinations⁷.

"When Kano restarts its immunization activities, it will be very significant, because Kano is the only place in the world today that's not immunizing against polio," he said. "As a result of not immunizing children against polio, Nigeria now has 77 percent of all the cases for all the children with polio in the world, unfortunately."

The strain of Kano's polio spread to at least 10 other African countries this year, further derailing the WHO-led effort to eradicate⁸ the crippling disease by the end of the year. There are about 400 known cases worldwide.

Kano state started its boycott last year. Despite repeated tests proving the vaccine was safe, northern Islamic clerics said the vaccine was tainted with anti-fertility agents as part of a plot to depopulate Muslim areas. Kano's government agreed to rejoin the drive several months ago, after testing a batch⁹ of vaccine to be used in Nigeria. The tests showed the vaccine, produced in the mainly Muslim country of Indonesia, was free of contamination.

But Islamic radicals¹⁰ say Kano officials were forced into submission¹¹ by what they call a western-led propaganda campaign. They say many Muslim populations will continue to shun¹² the vaccine.

Nigeria's spokesman for the WHO, Austine Oghide, rejects criticism that his organization could have done a better job educating, saying the issue of polio in Kano has been more about local politics than public health.

"I think it's common knowledge that there's some political undertone in it, there's some other issues that have come into it," Mr. Oghide said. "So, I don't think it's a question of education or mobilization."

With the state government now on their side, United Nations and Nigerian health officials are hoping to vaccinate¹³ four million children in Kano.

Nico Colombant, VOA News, Abidjan.

注释：
Nigerian 尼日利亚的
vaccine 疫苗
Brazil 巴西
cancellation 取消
ceremony 仪式
significant 有意义的
eradicate 根除
cleric 牧师
depopulate 削减人口
contamination 污染
propaganda 宣传
mobilization 动员

1 boycott   

n./v.(联合)抵制，拒绝参与

参考例句：

• We put the production under a boycott.我们联合抵制该商品。
• The boycott lasts a year until the Victoria board permitsreturn.这个抗争持续了一年直到维多利亚教育局妥协为止。

2 opposition   

n.反对，敌对

参考例句：

• The party leader is facing opposition in his own backyard.该党领袖在自己的党內遇到了反对。
• The police tried to break down the prisoner's opposition.警察设法制住了那个囚犯的反抗。

3 radical   

n.激进份子，原子团，根号；adj.根本的，激进的，彻底的

参考例句：

• The patient got a radical cure in the hospital.病人在医院得到了根治。
• She is radical in her demands.她的要求十分偏激。

4 vaccine   

n.牛痘苗，疫苗；adj.牛痘的，疫苗的

参考例句：

• The polio vaccine has saved millions of lives.脊髓灰质炎疫苗挽救了数以百万计的生命。
• She takes a vaccine against influenza every fall.她每年秋季接种流感疫苗。

5 tainted   

adj.腐坏的；污染的；沾污的；感染的v.使变质( taint的过去式和过去分词 )；使污染；败坏；被污染，腐坏，败坏

参考例句：

• The administration was tainted with scandal. 丑闻使得政府声名狼藉。
• He was considered tainted by association with the corrupt regime. 他因与腐败政府有牵连而名誉受损。 来自《简明英汉词典》

6 cancellation   

n.删除，取消

参考例句：

• Heavy seas can cause cancellation of ferry services.海上风浪太大，可能须要取消渡轮服务。
• Her cancellation of her trip to Paris upset our plan.她取消了巴黎之行打乱了我们的计划。

7 vaccinations   

n.种痘，接种( vaccination的名词复数 )；牛痘疤

参考例句：

• Vaccinations ensure one against diseases. 接种疫苗可以预防疾病。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• I read some publicity about vaccinations while waiting my turn at the doctor's. 在医生那儿候诊时，我读了一些关于接种疫苗的宣传。 来自《简明英汉词典》

8 eradicate   

v.根除，消灭，杜绝

参考例句：

• These insects are very difficult to eradicate.这些昆虫很难根除。
• They are already battling to eradicate illnesses such as malaria and tetanus.他们已经在努力消灭疟疾、破伤风等疾病。

9 batch   

n.一批(组，群)；一批生产量

参考例句：

• The first batch of cakes was burnt.第一炉蛋糕烤焦了。
• I have a batch of letters to answer.我有一批信要回复。

10 radicals   

n.激进分子( radical的名词复数 )；根基；基本原理；[数学]根数

参考例句：

• Some militant leaders want to merge with white radicals. 一些好斗的领导人要和白人中的激进派联合。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The worry is that the radicals will grow more intransigent. 现在人们担忧激进分子会变得更加不妥协。 来自辞典例句

11 submission   

n.服从，投降；温顺，谦虚；提出

参考例句：

• The defeated general showed his submission by giving up his sword.战败将军缴剑表示投降。
• No enemy can frighten us into submission.任何敌人的恐吓都不能使我们屈服。

12 shun   

vt.避开，回避，避免

参考例句：

• Materialists face truth,whereas idealists shun it.唯物主义者面向真理，唯心主义者则逃避真理。
• This extremist organization has shunned conventional politics.这个极端主义组织有意避开了传统政治。

13 vaccinate   

vt.给…接种疫苗；种牛痘

参考例句：

• Local health officials then can plan the best times to vaccinate people.这样，当地的卫生官员就可以安排最佳时间给人们接种疫苗。
• Doctors vaccinate us so that we do not catch smallpox.医生给我们打预防针使我们不会得天花。