The polio virus, target of a global campaign to wipe out the disease, has taken a foothold in Nigeria. Almost 3 times as many cases (801) were reported in the country in 2008 as in 2007 (285). To make matters worse, scientists studying the virus have reported that polio spread from Nigeria to 8 other African countries in the region, 6 of which had reported no new polio cases since 2005. Although this is disappointing news to those fighting polio, the success of fighting the disease has, overall, been unquesionably successful. There were only 1,655 cases reported worldwide in 2008, compared to over 350,000 cases in 1988 when the global eradication campaign began.This article demonstrates the lack of proper medical technology, personel, and funding in developing countries like Nigeria. This shortcoming negatively affects not only Nigeria itself, but many of its African neighbors as well. Were this a less managable disease, an outbreak centered in Nigeria could bring civil unrest to the region, threatening locals and foreign interests.
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