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Holy healers and the polio campaign
Polio, that long dreaded disease, is almost but not quite eradicated. The global polio eradication campaign (a joint effort of the World Health Organization, UNICEF, and the Rotary Foundation) was launched in 1988, with the target of ending polio by the year 2000. It has achieved remarkable success: by 1994, polio was officially declared eliminated in all the Americas. But now, in 2010, polio is still a threat in eight countries, and the campaign's hopes for defeating polio by 2012 hang on success there. What does it take to wipe out an ancient scourge like polio? Vaccines and dogged monitoring and a drive to track down all cases and stop transmission.
A fascinating radio program put together by America Media Abroad (you can listen here) explores the ins and outs of religion and health in Africa: what's happening, why it is sometimes controversial, and why religion is so important. Titled Africa's Holy Healers, it vividly demonstrates how deeply religious institutions are engaged in health care. In Kenya, Uganda, Nigeria, and Ethiopia, an amazing range of faith-inspired healers are part of the backbone of the health care system. Last week, at the Berkley Center at Georgetown University, we discussed some of the challenges that emerge from that fact. Is there a way out of the poisonous AIDS debates? (The group thought that in this area, reason is starting to beat back anger and fear). Is proselytizing causing tensions? (The group was sharply divided.) Do we know enough about what's going on? (The view was unanimous that we do not.)
In Nigeria, the roles that religious leaders have played in the polio vaccination campaign clearly shows that any successful approach to health in the world's poorest countries must take religion into account. Nigeria is one of the eight remaining countries where polio is still a threat, especially to children, so it is a focus of the global campaign. But when the campaign started, rumors began to spread that the vaccine was part of a western plot to sterilize Nigerians and that the vaccines were tainted. Religious leaders did not start the rumors, but neither did they stamp them out. Indeed, some imams contributed to a wave of fear that brought the campaign to a temporary halt. Polio cases in Nigeria soared and spread to at least 20 other countries.
A first, important lesson is that it's not smart policy in a place where religion is vitally important to omit religious leaders from the planning. Where there is a combustible situation of religious tensions (Christian/Muslim tensions in Nigeria and the shadow of post 9/11 suspicions dividing Muslim communities and the west), neglecting the religious dimension is potentially disastrous.
The next chapters of the story are much more heartening. From top to bottom, religious leaders were brought into the campaign. Information was a first critical step. Health officials met religious leaders and listened to their concerns. They explained the campaign and how the vaccine worked, including safeguards. Religious leaders visited countries which had successful campaigns and where the vaccine was manufactured. The political Organization of the Islamic Conference was brought into the act and helped in getting fatwas from respected Muslim scholars (especially from other African countries) that highlighted parents' responsibilities to vaccinate their children.
So ending the de facto boycott of the polio campaign was not sufficient. Real success came only when religious leaders became actively involved in helping to organize and support the campaigns. As the program evolved, skeptics became advocates. Leaders had their own children vaccinated in public. The program was back on track. Last week, only two cases were reported.
It's sad but hardly surprising that the countries where polio is still a threat are the world's most troubled countries, all facing terrible poverty and many mired in conflict: Afghanistan, Pakistan, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Chad, Sudan... And in each and every one, religion is vitally important, with a powerful potential to contribute to solving problems--or to make them worse. The lessons from the Nigeria polio story seem pretty clear: take religion into account and work to find or make allies before it's too late.
Katherine Marshall is a senior fellow at Georgetown's Berkley Center for Religion, Peace and World Affairs, a Visiting Professor, and Executive Director of the World Faiths Development Dialogue.
By Katherine Marshall |
November 8, 2010; 6:11 AM ET
| Category:
Faith in Action
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Posted by: ZZim | November 9, 2010 8:22 PM
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WmarkW of course the pious people here will say that the two dimwits were not following, what else, the right religion. Or they have corrupted the religion. Some scholars would say the sky-daddy had banished human sacrifice when he asked Avarm to sacrifice his own son and then provided him with lamb or whatever in place. These poor guys must not have heard about it. Apparently the news had not traveled to Ghana from the middle east. See it was in western Ghana, they don't do that in eastern Ghana. Give it few more decades, to reach western Ghana.
Posted by: Secular | November 9, 2010 12:44 PM
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There's nothing sub-Saharan African needs more than LESS religion:
Half Assini (W/R), Nov. 7, Ghana — Police in Half Assini in the Western Region have arrested two galamsey operators at Amantem near Tarkwa for offering a five-year old boy to be killed for ritual purposes to boost their business.
Posted by: WmarkW | November 9, 2010 12:17 PM
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This article is yet another illustration of the Hitchens's proposition that "Religion poisons everything". Indeed these malevolents could not muster enough support within their families if they were making a secular argument against these preventive measures. However, when they flaunt their ignorance and malfeasance as some kind of religious edict, or as anti-thesis to some decrypt religion, wow their support magnifies by a factor of millions. Lets face it an average human being is by and large ignorant, & gullible. This is not limited to the folks in poor countries. We find it aplenty right in our back yards. The vile and decrypt human pond-scums - the priest class exploits it. To some how claim or concede that we have to get this parasite class on board for these preventive initiatives is to say the least is grotesque. It is like co-opting a mafia boss into your program, just so that he will not throw monkey wrenches. The parasite class is a parasite class no matter what kind of clothes they wear.
I really wish these pond-scums would limit their activities to just reach into the pocket books for the tithe, whatever crap it is, and leave the poor folks on other matters.
Posted by: Secular | November 9, 2010 11:04 AM
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It frustrates me that simple, important medical procedures that help countless people have to be cleared with every single superstition and conspiracy nut before they can take hold. The real problem wasn't even Nigeria, it was the Pilgrimage to Mecca. When those infected Nigerians went to Mecca they proceeding to infect others who took it to twenty other countries. I think the WHO might have even better success if they convince the Saudis to require mandatory immunizations before people enter their country. Imagine if measles or H1N1 found its way there, it could be a nexus for disease like we have never seen before.
Posted by: Sajanas | November 9, 2010 10:32 AM
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Good article, Katherine. Thanks for bringing this to our attention.
.
Posted by: ZZim | November 9, 2010 9:36 AM
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"Holy Healers"?
More like ignoramuses. (Ignorami?)
BTW, bedbugs had been eliminated in America until illegal immigrants started sneaking them across the border in their backpacks.
Posted by: WmarkW | November 8, 2010 6:33 PM
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these malevolents could not muster enough support within their families if they were making a secular argument against these preventive measures. However, when they flaunt their ignorance and malfeasance as some kind of religious edict, or as anti-thesis to some decrypt religion, wow their support magnifies by a factor of millions.
Posted by: Secular
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Secular, I totally agree with you on this. This sort of crap has to be confronted and the best way to do it is to find these guys and suck up to them, make them feel important and influential, etc.
I think it's smart politics.
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