The Nigerian government and a host of aid organizations are trying to vaccinate as many children as possible. But Lawanson says sometimes, convincing parents that a vaccination will protect children is difficult.
“In some parts of the endemic states, there is this strong belief that the polio vaccine, the oral polio vaccine causes infertility in their girls," said Lawanson. "As a result of which they don’t want to go for it. They worry it’s a risk to them."
The ‘endemic states’ Lawanson mentions are all in the north, where insurgents have terrorized the population since 2009.
Early this year, nine polio vaccinators were slaughtered in the northern state of Kano. The Global Polio Eradication Initiative says vaccinators have no access to children in Borno state, the heart of the insurgency.
Last year, the only countries to report polio cases were Nigeria, Afghanistan, Pakistan and Chad, but so far this year, there have been victims in four other countries.
The hardest hit is Somalia, with more than half of the world’s 296 cases reported this year.
Despite that nearly doubling of polio cases worldwide, Lawanson says Nigeria is still on track to eradicate the disease from the country by 2015. She said aid workers are working with local leaders to encourage vaccination and meeting refugees as they flee dangerous but inaccessible areas.
But Mohammad said for him and his friend Jamilu, another victim, no help is available. In fact, Jamilu said, if someone offered him an operation to fix his legs, he would decline.
Jamilu said if someone gave him money he wouldn’t use it to pay for a doctor, but to open a shop to sell incense and other accessories.
Mohammad and Jamilu said they didn’t know that major aid organizations are pouring billions of dollars into eradication efforts to prevent other children from suffering their fate.
But if they are giving money away, Jamilu said, for only about $1,000 he could open a shop and stop begging on the streets.
source: VOANEWS
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