Polio Is Back in Nigeria

Polio Is Back in Nigeria

Nigerian officials have launched a polio vaccination¹ campaign in the country’s northeast, where two new cases of the virus were found.

Health officials say the virus was discovered in two children from Borno State. The discovery came days before what was supposed to be a major anniversary -- two years without a case of polio in Africa’s most populous² country.

That would have left only one year before Nigeria and the rest of Africa would have been declared to be polio-free.

John Vertefeuille is director of the polio program at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in the U.S. He said the discovery is "disappointing," adding that the two new cases will require a massive vaccination effort.

According to Nigerian officials, a boy, aged³ 15 months, and a two-year-old girl were diagnosed with polio earlier this year. Both are likely paralyzed for life, health officials said.

Muhammad Ali Pate⁴ is from northern Nigeria and is now with the Duke University Global Health Institute.

He said, “The Chigari Foundation, with the support of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, is continuing to work on community engagement, through the northern traditional leaders, on primary health care and polio eradication⁵. And that will continue.”

Northern Nigeria is where Boko Haram militants⁶ operate. They have made vaccination campaigns difficult.

Nigerian Ministry⁷ of Health official Olajide Osundu told VOA that his agency is working with the Nigerian military to reduce risks.

“They (military troops) will be part of the team that will go around to guarantee safety of the health workers,” he said.

Doctors Without Borders has worked in northeast Nigeria since 2014 to help fight malnutrition⁸ and diseases such as cholera⁹ and measles¹⁰.

In related news, officials in Afghanistan are restarting polio vaccinations¹¹. The vaccines¹² are being offered to thousands of children in eastern Afghanistan. Until recently, the area was under the control of Islamic State militants.

The vaccinations were on hold for more than 18 months because health workers were not able to safely travel to three districts in Nangarhar Province, which borders Pakistan.

The Islamic State group has blocked polio vaccinations and gave out misinformation linking the vaccines to fertility problems for both boys and girls. They also said that the vaccines contain pork products, which are not permitted under Islamic law.

Neither statement is true.

Recent military operations by Afghan and U.S. forces are reported to have cleared many areas of Islamic State militants.

Words in This Story

diagnose - v. to recognize a disease or illness by examining someone

paralyze - v. to make a person unable to move or feel all or part of the body

engagement - n. the act or state of being involved with something

eradication - n. to remove a disease completely

malnutrition – n. a lack of healthy food in the diet

1 vaccination   

n.接种疫苗，种痘

参考例句：

• Vaccination is a preventive against smallpox.种痘是预防天花的方法。
• Doctors suggest getting a tetanus vaccination every ten years.医生建议每十年注射一次破伤风疫苗。

2 populous   

adj.人口稠密的，人口众多的

参考例句：

• London is the most populous area of Britain.伦敦是英国人口最稠密的地区。
• China is the most populous developing country in the world.中国是世界上人口最多的发展中国家。

3 aged   

adj.年老的，陈年的

参考例句：

• He had put on weight and aged a little.他胖了，也老点了。
• He is aged,but his memory is still good.他已年老，然而记忆力还好。

4 pate   

n.头顶；光顶

参考例句：

• The few strands of white hair at the back of his gourd-like pate also quivered.他那长在半个葫芦样的头上的白发，也随着笑声一齐抖动着。
• He removed his hat to reveal a glowing bald pate.他脱下帽子，露出了发亮的光头。

5 eradication   

n.根除

参考例句：

• The eradication of an established infestation is not easy. 根除昆虫蔓延是不容易的。
• This is often required for intelligent control and eradication. 这经常需要灵巧的控制与消除。

6 militants   

激进分子，好斗分子( militant的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The militants have been sporadically fighting the government for years. 几年来，反叛分子一直对政府实施零星的战斗。
• Despite the onslaught, Palestinian militants managed to fire off rockets. 尽管如此，巴勒斯坦的激进分子仍然发射导弹。

7 ministry   

n.(政府的)部；牧师

参考例句：

• They sent a deputation to the ministry to complain.他们派了一个代表团到部里投诉。
• We probed the Air Ministry statements.我们调查了空军部的记录。

8 malnutrition   

n.营养不良

参考例句：

• In Africa, there are a lot of children suffering from severe malnutrition.在非洲有大批严重营养不良的孩子。
• It is a classic case of malnutrition. 这是营养不良的典型病例。

9 cholera   

n.霍乱

参考例句：

• The cholera outbreak has been contained.霍乱的发生已被控制住了。
• Cholera spread like wildfire through the camps.霍乱在营地里迅速传播。

10 measles   

n.麻疹，风疹，包虫病，痧子

参考例句：

• The doctor is quite definite about Tom having measles.医生十分肯定汤姆得了麻疹。
• The doctor told her to watch out for symptoms of measles.医生叫她注意麻疹出现的症状。

11 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》

12 vaccines   

疫苗，痘苗( vaccine的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• His team are at the forefront of scientific research into vaccines. 他的小组处于疫苗科研的最前沿。
• The vaccines were kept cool in refrigerators. 疫苗放在冰箱中冷藏。