Anti-polio battle on the verge of victory

Pouya Rohani
11/5/10
11:15 pm
When global campaign against polio disease started in 1988, more than three hundred fifty thousand people effected by the disease each year. From 1988 up until today, tremendous progress has been made by global campaign to reduce number of affected by polio disease. The goal has been set to eradicate the disease within the next two years from the face of the earth. Nigeria, never had a history of eliminating the disease even for short period of time, achieved a great victory this year by reducing polio cases in the country by ninety eight percent. At first, people in Nigeria were doubted about the reason behind vaccination especially as Islamic leaders organized a boycott against polio disease, for thinking wrongly that cause infertility. Soon, number of people infected by the disease jumped from 355 to 792 in a year when the boycott started. In 2010, only nine new cases has been found in the country that is extremely low. It was not just the vaccine, simultaneously immunized against two strains of polio, that helped to reduce the number of cases of the affected by the disease. The polio campaigners focus their attention in educating communities about the benefit of vaccination. To do this, they encouraged Muslim leader to drop their boycott and joined them. In addition to persuading Muslim leaders, victims of the disease helped by telling their audience; “Do you want your child to look like me?” However as there is a hope for eliminating the disease in Nigeria, more cases have been appeared in new countries like Angolo and the Democratic Republic of Congo.
This article shows that social change is possible even though in many cases seem impossible. Eradicating one disease is a great social improvement that can effect many people even the whole society in a positive way. Now Nigerian people can focus on other social problems that they are facing every day. Many problems that we face in the society are linked and are interconnected. Solving one social problem definitely can be the begging for solving other social problems.
source: http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/world/africa-mideast/anti-polio-battle-on-the-verge-of-victory/article1781614/