At the same time, local governments’ difficulties are having an adverse effect on provision of clean water and proper sanitation, which are vitally important for polio eradication and public health more broadly. There have also been cases of refusal by parents to vaccinate their children, typically at the behest of clergy members, owing to the belief that such public-health efforts are in fact a covert sterilization program.
与此同时，地方政府的困难正在对提供清洁水和良好卫生环境的努力造成消极影响，而后两者对消灭小儿麻痹症、促进公共卫生起着关键作用。还有不少父母拒绝为子女接种疫苗，特别是由神职人员以命令语气要求的疫苗接种，因为他们认为这种公共卫生手段实际上是一种隐蔽的避孕项目。事实上，拒绝接种要占为接种儿童总数的2%。最近又爆发了一起针对小儿麻痹症疫苗的抹黑事件，数名国会议员公开参与其中，这让问题更加复杂化了。