Polio Eradication in Nigeria: The Ethics of Success

The world has only eradicated one human infectious disease ¿ smallpox. Yet the globe is tantalizingly close to eradicating another. In July 2015, Nigeria, the last endemic country in Africa, celebrated one year without a single case of wild poliovirus type 1. Is global polio eradication closer than ever? What are the challenges that continue to undermine polio eradication efforts in Nigeria? What are the ethical issues of pursuing eradication rather than elimination or control? Dr. Muhammad Pate, the former Minister of State for Health in Nigeria, and a visiting scholar at the Duke Global Health Institute, will discuss his work to eradicate polio in Nigeria. Facilitated by Kearsley Stewart, PhD.