| Abstract: | This article is an analysis of the boycott of the polio vaccinationcampaign in northern Nigeria, which has indefinitely stalledglobal polio eradication targets. The polio immunization drivewas brought to a standstill in July 2003 as religious and politicalleaders in northern Nigeria responded to fears that the vaccineswere deliberately contaminated with anti-fertility agents andthe HIV virus. The article explores the political and culturalangles of this controversy, revealing deeper dimensions thathave contributed to the rejection of polio vaccines in northernNigeria. In doing so, it argues that there is an underlyinglogic to public anxieties often dismissed as ‘anti-vaccinationrumours’. Although the polio vaccine boycott has provedcostly in both economic and human terms, it has opened importantlines of communication at global and national levels, potentiallydeepening dialogue, participation and sensitivity necessaryfor global health campaigns. Although immunization comes withcountless benefits, it is a complex and difficult health strategyto enforce. Decisions on broader health as well as immunizationgoals are often made at a global level to be incorporated andadapted into national health plans and budgets. Evidently forimmunization campaigns, the journey from the global to the localis a vulnerable and unpredictable one. |
