Muslim nations in poverty see polio resurgence

RICH COUNTERPARTS DO LITTLE TO HELP

By Nora Boustany

Washington Post


WASHINGTON - A decade ago, polio had been virtually eradicated in most developing nations, including Muslim countries. In 2001, it reached an all-time low, with only 483 cases reported worldwide. But the polio saga does not yet have a happy ending.

In the past two years, the virus has begun to spread again. So far this year, 1,004 new cases have been reported globally, said David Heymann, representative of the World Health Organization for polio eradication.

Troubling aspects of the resurgence are its concentration in the Muslim world and the poor response by wealthy Islamic governments to help. Of the $4 billion spent to eradicate polio since 1988, only $3.5 million -- less than 1 percent -- has come from members of the Organization of the Islamic Conference, even though 96 percent of all recent cases have occurred in Muslim countries, Heymann said from Geneva.

One cause of polio's resurgence involves cultural and religious misperceptions that sabotage medical treatment in poor regions.

In 2003, rumors that polio vaccines were harmful began circulating in the Muslim state of Kano in Nigeria. One rumor said the vaccine caused sterility in girls and had been developed by Western powers to diminish the Muslim population.

Another swirl of gossip in Nigeria propagated fears that inoculation against polio would spread HIV/AIDS among children. Although the governor of Kano knew better, he was reluctant to defy popular opinion, one U.N. official said.

All vaccination drives in Kano were suspended and polio began spreading from the region. By 2004 it had reached 18 countries, almost all members of the OIC.

The OIC issued three resolutions and organized the intervention of Muslim clerics. In 2004, fatwas, or religious edicts, supporting the vaccines were issued by Egypt's grand mufti, the country's senior spiritual leader, and the grand imam of Al-Azhar Mosque in Cairo, as well as by local imams. But officials said the effort came too late to stop the spread of Nigeria's polio strain.

Yet despite the surge in oil prices, wealthy Islamic countries such as Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates have been essentially turning their backs on the problem.

The $4 billion spent on polio eradication since 1988 has come mainly from industrialized countries, including the United States, Britain, Norway, Sweden and Japan, and such groups as the Rotary Foundation and the U.N. Foundation.

Britain gave $92 million in 2004. Ted Turner, the American media magnate, gave at least $30 million. Malaysia, where Islam is the official religion, gave $1 million. Russia has come up with $4 million over three years. USAID provided $29.4 million in 2004.

In contrast, the United Arab Emirates contributed $500,000 in 2004 and Qatar gave $330,000 this year. King Fahd, the late Saudi monarch, donated $500,000 last February. Kuwait contributed nothing. Heymann said he and others lobbied OIC officials and Saudi diplomats unsuccessfully for more substantive donations.

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