Nigeria polio vaccines questioned by Islamic clerics

[CFLarsen]

Polio drive relaunch in Nigeria

The World Health Organisation says it will re-launch a campaign to eradicate polio from Nigeria early next year.
Last month's inoculation programme was blocked when three northern Nigerian states suspended the campaign.

The states acted after an influential Islamic leader said the vaccines might cause cancer, Aids or sterility.
Source: BBC News (http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/africa/3268867.stm)

Nigeria polio vaccines safe and untainted, says WHO

The World Health Organisation says polio vaccines it is using in Nigeria are safe and untainted. Islamic clerics in the states of Kaduna, Kano, and Zamfara suspended the polio immunisation programs on Sunday, claiming the vaccine is unsafe.
Source: Africa Online (http://www.africaonline.com/site/Articles/1,3,54359.jsp)

This makes me mad. Ignorance is dangerous, often lethal.

[Psi Baba]

The solution: Inflict all these Islamic clerics with Polio. Then ask them if they still think a vaccine is a bad idea. Ignorant bastards. :mad:

[geni]

Just what we need. Another load of people laying into vacines.

[BTox]

Goes to show anti-vac kooks are a global phenomenon.

[CFLarsen]

More:

New Scientist: Nigerian vaccine tests refute contamination claim (http://www.newscientist.com/news/news.jsp?id=ns99994392)

[MRC_Hans]

To be perfectly objective, this is not ye usual anti-vaccination crap. This is about insane paranoia. They do not claim that vaccination as such is bad, but that "the west" (whoever that is) is trying to kill their population by contaminating the vaccine.

That anti-vaccination bozos will be exploiting it to the outmost, however, is beyond reasonable doubt.

--- And you can rest assured that those clerics are vaccinated themselves.

Hans

[Martin]

Originally posted by MRC_Hans
To be perfectly objective, this is not ye usual anti-vaccination crap. This is about insane paranoiaHrmm...

[Rolfe]

Originally posted by MRC_Hans
To be perfectly objective, this is not ye usual anti-vaccination crap. This is about insane paranoia. Most of the anti-vaccination crap is insane paranoia, when you really get down to it. And the thesis that the whole point of vaccines is to selectively eliminate unwanted elements of the population is by no means unique to the Islamic clerics.

Rolfe.

[MRC_Hans]

Yeah. You're right, of course...

Hans

[BillHoyt]

Originally posted by Rolfe
Most of the anti-vaccination crap is insane paranoia, when you really get down to it. And the thesis that the whole point of vaccines is to selectively eliminate unwanted elements of the population is by no means unique to the Islamic clerics.

Rolfe.

There's a large kernel of truth here. But the paranoia is coupled with non-paranoid, but nonetheless deluded innumeracy and poor cause-effect reasoning. And a lack of epidemiological understanding. The next issue of Skeptical Inquirer is slated to include an article on how all of this has resulted in world-wide whooping cough epidemics. Western world.