Jail for Belgians Who Reject Polio Shot

March 12, 2008 By MARIA CHENG, AP Medical Writer Jail for Belgians Who Reject Polio Shot (AP)

In this image made available from the World Health Organization Tuesday March 11, 2008 a Muslim pilgrim to the Hajj , right, is given polio vaccine in Peshawar Pakistan late 2007. As doctors struggle to eradicate polio worldwide, one of their biggest problems is convincing parents to vaccinate their children against the paralyzing and sometimes fatal disease. When parents in poor countries like Nigeria refuse, officials usually redouble their efforts to persuade them the vaccine is safe. (AP Photo/WHO)

(AP) -- As doctors struggle to eradicate polio worldwide, one of their biggest problems is persuading parents to vaccinate their children. In Belgium, authorities are resorting to an extreme measure: prison sentences.



Content from The Associated Press expires 15 days after original publication date. For more information about The Associated Press, please visit www.ap.org .

Similar stories from PHYSorg:


Polio surge in Nigeria after vaccine virus mutates

created Aug 14, 2009 | popularity 4.7 / 5 (6) | comments 4

Hacker pleads guilty to huge theft of card numbers

created Sep 11, 2009 | popularity not rated yet | comments 0

Childhood obesity link to parents

created Jul 13, 2009 | popularity 4 / 5 (1) | comments 0

Pediatricians take on bullies, dating violence

created Jun 13, 2009 | popularity 3.3 / 5 (3) | comments 2

Doctors warn about camphor poisoning in children

created Apr 27, 2009 | popularity 5 / 5 (1) | comments 0


print this article email this article download pdf blog this article bookmark this article     Stumble it Digg this share on Facebook retweet share on Reddit add to delicious
Rate this story - 4.3 /5 (4 votes)


March 12, 2008 all stories

Comments: 0

4.3 /5 (4 votes)
  • Stumble this up

  • Digg this

  • share this



  • hide
  • Relevant PhysicsForums posts

Other News

New cancer target for non-Hodgkin's lymphoma

Medicine & Health / Cancer

created 2 hours ago | popularity not rated yet | comments 0

Physician-scientists from Weill Cornell Medical College have discovered a molecular mechanism that may prove to be a powerful target for the treatment of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, a type of cancer that affects lymphocytes, ...


Gene mismatch influences success of bone marrow transplants

Medicine & Health / Genetics

created 2 hours ago | popularity not rated yet | comments 0

A commonly inherited gene deletion can increase the likelihood of immune complications following bone marrow transplantation, an international team of researchers reports in the November 22 advance online issue of Nature Ge ...


New understanding about mechanism for cell death after stroke leads to possible therapy

Medicine & Health / Research

created 3 hours ago | popularity not rated yet | comments 0

Scientists at the Brain Research Centre, a partnership of the University of British Columbia Faculty of Medicine and Vancouver Coastal Health Research Institute, have uncovered new information about the mechanism by which ...


Surface bacteria maintain skin's healthy balance

Medicine & Health / Research

created 3 hours ago | popularity not rated yet | comments 0

On the skin's surface, bacteria are abundant, diverse and constant, but inflammation is undesirable. Research at the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine now shows that the normal bacteria living on the ...


Cancer metabolism discovery uncovers new role of IDH1 gene mutation in brain cancer

Medicine & Health / Cancer

created 3 hours ago | popularity not rated yet | comments 0

Agios Pharmaceuticals today announced that its scientists have established, for the first time, that the mutated IDH1 gene has a novel enzyme activity consistent with a cancer-causing gene, or oncogene. This breakthrough ...