Polio Outbreak Spreads from Nigeria

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.

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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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Pfizer-Nigeria Drug Suits are Close to End

In 1996 during a meningitis outbreak in Nigeria, a US drug firm, Pfizer, tested 200 sick children in a hospital in Kano with an antibiotic called Trovan. The article reports that the result of the tested antibiotic was 11 children's deaths and 181 other injured children even though Pfizer denies the claims that the antibiotic was the cause of the death and instead the deaths were just a result of the outbreak. Pfizer maintains that they formally informed the parents of the children being tested, but the parents claim that they never gave consent which led to the families along with the Kano State government suing Pfizer in the US. The case, fortunately, is reportedly coming close to an end with a multi-million dollar settlement out of court. The sides are not yet allowed to disclose the amounts until the final court hearing on May 15th but reportedly Nigeria's federal government additionally sued for $6.5bn in 2007 but will withdraw it's claim if the Nano government reaches a settlement.

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The article relates to what we have been learning in class with demonstrating state and federal governments in addition to the right of the people to sue a foreign company. Both the state and federal government has sued Pfizer which displays a sort of unitary between the levels of the government and the people that it serves but supporting and uniting against the company to which they are holding the deaths accountable for.

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Nigeria Reacts to Baby Death Increase

In the article, it reports that the contaminated teething syrup, “My Pikin”, that is previously responsible for 34 deaths that occurred in December, has now risen to death toll of 84 and 111 cases ranging between the ages of 2 and 7. “My Pikin” is Nigerian pidgin for the words “my baby” and after children began dying of organ failure, engine coolant was found in the Nigerian-made mixture. The Lagos-based company that was manufacturing the syrup was shut down last year by The National Agency for Food, Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) and currently all pharmacies have been ordered to give over their stocks to regulators so the case can be further investigated. In addition, all parents have been advised not to administer their children any form of teething syrup until the remaining stocks can be accounted for. The government and health minister has declared that they will thoroughly inspect the case to find answers for the Nigerian people on how this has happen and to ensure that this will never happen again.

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Government accountability can be related to this article in the sense that the Nigerian government is searching for answers and announcing that they will try to prevent this situation from occurring again. The government has already taken steps to ensure this by shutting down the manufacturer and the main supplier and also by investigating. Also, this article reveals the pandemic occuring throughout Nigeria. In addition, medical care has been hard to provide to the children how have taken the syrup because of the quick kidney and other organ failures, the doctors cannot issue help in time.

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Nigerians to sue US drug firm

A US appeals court has ruled that Nigerian families can sue Pfizer drugs, an American drug firm, for its alleged role in the deaths of Nigerian children. The company is accused of killing 11 children and injuring 181 others while testing an antibiotic intended to subdue a menengitis epedimic in 1996. The epedemic killed 12,000 Nigerian children in 6 months. Pfizer is alleged to have tested out the antibiotic on 200 ill children without the consent of their parents. It caused 11 deaths and caused blindness, deformities, and brain damage in others. Originally, the law suit was dismissed on the basis that it violated the Alien Tort Statue, a law alloing foreigners to sue in the US courts. But the Second Circuit US Court of Appeals in New York ruled that the statue could be used. Pfizer denies the allegations, and maintains that the tests were taken with government and parental consent.

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In this article, aspects of globalization, medical care, and law processes in Nigeria are discussed. The US firm is providing the globalization aspect by supplying antibiotics in Nigeria, even though it did not turn out well. The medical difficulties plaguing Nigeria are discussed as well, with their menengitis outbreak, and the failure of the antiobiotic. The law processes are also discussed, explaining how the Nigerian people were able to sue the American firm.

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