Devex: Here’s how people in Nigeria are avoiding vaccination
“…[A]lthough 1 in 5 people who contract yellow fever in Nigeria die from it, not everyone gets immunized — and some are finding ways to bypass the travel requirements, increasing the risk of the epidemic-prone disease spreading to other countries. One way to do it is to buy a falsified vaccination card, readily available at the airport for those who either don’t want to be immunized or don’t have enough time before they travel. The Nigerian government told Devex the cards are fake, while evidence at the airport suggests they are authentic but fraudulently obtained. Airport staff and travelers said the cards had been bought at the port health authority’s store, duly stamped and signed as a way of generating underhand revenue for staff. Devex was able to buy one for 3,000 Nigerian naira ($8.50) and no evidence of immunization…” (Adepoju, 5/14).