The last obstacle to the worldwide elimination of polio may be about to fall. The Nigerian state of Kano had stopped vaccinating children after local preachers claimed the US had spiked the oral vaccine to make Muslim girls infertile. Nearly half the 700 cases of polio last year occurred in northern Nigeria, sparking outbreaks elsewhere.
But next week, UNICEF will give Nigeria a polio vaccine made in Indonesia, a Muslim country, and Kano state officials have said they will accept this. A vaccination drive is due to start later this month. David Heymann, head of polio eradication at the World…
