ors ▁of ▁Niger ia , ▁and ▁gen etic ▁tests ▁showed ▁the ▁virus ▁was ▁the ▁same ▁one ▁that ▁origin ated ▁in ▁northern ▁Niger ia . ▁Niger ia ▁had ▁become ▁a ▁net ▁exp orter ▁of ▁the ▁pol io ▁virus ▁to ▁its ▁African ▁neighb ors . ▁People ▁in ▁the ▁northern ▁states ▁were ▁also ▁reported ▁to ▁be ▁w ary ▁of ▁other ▁v acc in ations , ▁and ▁Niger ia ▁reported ▁over ▁ 2 0 , 0 0 0 ▁meas les ▁cases ▁and ▁nearly ▁ 6 0 0 ▁death s ▁from ▁meas les ▁from ▁January ▁through ▁March ▁ 2 0 0 5 . ▁In ▁Northern ▁Niger ia , ▁it ▁is ▁a ▁common ▁belief ▁that ▁v acc ination ▁is ▁a ▁strategy ▁created ▁by ▁the ▁western ers ▁to ▁reduce ▁the ▁Northern ers ' ▁population . ▁As ▁a ▁result ▁of ▁this ▁belief , ▁a ▁large ▁number ▁of ▁Northern ers ▁reject ▁v acc ination . ▁In ▁ 2 0 0 6 , ▁Niger ia ▁account ed ▁for ▁over ▁half ▁of ▁all ▁new ▁pol io ▁cases ▁world wide . ▁Out break s ▁continued ▁there after ; ▁for ▁example , ▁at ▁least ▁ 2 0 0 ▁children ▁died ▁in ▁a ▁late - 2 0 0 7 ▁meas les ▁out break ▁in ▁Bor no ▁State . ▁ ▁United ▁States , ▁meas les ▁( 2 0 0 5 – ) ▁ ▁In ▁ 2 0 0 0 , ▁meas les ▁was ▁declared ▁elimin ated ▁from ▁the ▁United ▁States ▁because ▁internal ▁transmission ▁had ▁been ▁interrupted ▁for ▁one ▁year ; ▁remaining ▁reported ▁cases ▁were ▁due ▁to ▁import ation