One factor in the failure of polio immunization programs has been opposition by
Muslim fundamentalists. This opposition has varied and is linked mostly to local political will rather than any religious orthodoxy. In Pakistan and Afghanistan, the
Talibanhave issued
fatwas against polio vaccination, while
Saudi Arabia has supported the eradication effort by demanding that all pilgrims to the
Haj that originate from polio endemic countries receive vaccination upon arrival. But even with the express support of political leaders, polio workers have been kidnapped, beaten, and assassinated.
[54] In February 2007, physician Abdul Ghani, who was in charge of polio immunizations in a key area of disease occurrence in northern Pakistan, was killed in a
terrorist bombing.
[55] In July 2007, a student traveling from Pakistan imported the first polio case to
Australia in over 20 years.
[56] Other countries with significant numbers of wild polio virus cases include the
Democratic Republic of the Congowhich reported 41 cases, Chad with 22 cases, and Niger and
Myanmar, each of which reported 11 cases.
[32]