Safety of polio vaccine backed by president
Thursday 1 April 2004
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NIGERIA: Safety of polio vaccine backed by president

JOHANNESBURG, 19 March (PLUSNEWS) - Nigerian President Olusegun Obasanjo has vouched for the safety of a polio vaccine following fears in four predominantly Muslim northern states that the vaccine causes HIV infection and infertility.

Nigeria announced earlier this year that it was sending state and religious representatives abroad to obtain proof that the vaccine was safe and AIDS-free, to help dispel these misconceptions.

Obasanjo has since been quoted by the Associated Press news agency as saying that independent test results "categorically attest to the safety of the oral polio vaccine and clears it of contamination by HIV, cancerous agents and anti-fertility agents."

The World Health Organisation is currently conducting an inoculation programme that will protect some 63 million children in 10 west and central African countries from the debilitating disease.


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