Date of Award
5-2022
Degree Type
Thesis
Degree Name
Honors Thesis
Department
Biology
First Advisor
Dr. Bonnie Brown
Abstract
When the polio vaccine was developed in the 1950s, the healthcare field saw the eradication of polio happening by the turn of the 21st century. However, in 2022 there are still countries with endemic strains of polio, with Nigeria only recently being taken off of this list in 2020. This paper focuses on synthesizing research about the initial oral polio vaccine (OPV) efforts in 2002 Nigeria to improved efforts in the 2010s. Nigeria is widely known for boycotting the vaccine and implementing extensive educational programming attempts to remedy the situation. By looking at various cultural and religious factors that caused low OPV vaccination rates, we can examine aspects that must be considered when creating health care educational programs in communities that are hesitant or resistant to vaccines, like the northern states of Nigeria. This argument is explored through three distinct factors: the political-religious, religious-educational, and educational efforts in response to low vaccination rates.
Recommended Citation
Welz, Allison LuAnn, "Religious and Cultural Considerations in Nigeria regarding the low vaccination rates for the Oral Polio Vaccine" (2022). Undergraduate Honors Thesis Collection. 633.
https://digitalcommons.butler.edu/ugtheses/633