The Politics of Polio in Northern Nigeria [Paperback]

In 2008, Northern Nigeria had the greatest number of confirmed cases of polio in the world and was the source of outbreaks in several West African countries. Elisha P. Renne explores the politics and social dynamics of the Northern Nigerian response to the Global Polio Eradication Initiative, which has been met with extreme skepticism, subversion, and the refusal of some parents to immunize their children. Renne explains this resistance by situating the eradication effort within the social, political, cultural, and historical context of the experience of polio in Northern Nigeria. Questions of vaccine safety, the ability of the government to provide basic health care, and the role of the international community are factored into this sensitive and complex treatment of the ethics of global polio eradication efforts.

First runner-up, 2011 Nigerian Studies Association Book PrizeRenne understands the stakes and has done some important research. The issue of vaccination resistance and protest in Northern Nigeria has gained a great deal of attention in the media.

Acknowledgments
1. Introduction: Protesting Polio
2. Smallpox and Polio Histories
3. Politics and Polio in Nigeria
4. Islam and Immunization in Northern Nigeria
5. Polio, Disability, and Begging
6. Polio in Northern Nigeria and Northeastern Ghana
7. The Ethics of Eradication
Epilogue

Notes
Bibliography
Index

[T]his book provides a strong, comprehensive analysis of opposition to polio vaccination in northern Nigeria and provides fodder for the continuing debates about vertical, directed programs, eradication, and 'broad-based health projects' . . . worldwide.An awesome, thoughtful piece of work exploring in remarkable detail the subject of eradication, the ethics of eradication, and the motivations of all parties concerned.

Elisha P. Renne is Professor in the Department of Anthropology and the Center for Afroamerican and African Studies at the University of Michiganl£W