74 million Number of African children that the World Health Organization hopes to vaccinate this October and November in an attempt to eradicate the polio virus before 2005
11 Number of months, beginning in August 2003, that the Nigerian government halted polio immunizations amid rumors that the vaccine was spiked with the AIDS virus
1,148 Polio cases contracted worldwide during that time period
616 Number of those cases that were in Nigeria
161 Number of cases reported in Nigeria during the 11 months preceding August 2003
10 Number of polio-infected countries surrounding Nigeria that were free of the virus prior to the outbreak
$3 billion Total amount spent attempting to eradicate polio since 1988
$100 MILLION Amount spent attempting to contain the Nigerian outbreak
90 Percent of the global polio burden accounted for by Africa
SOURCES: World Health Organization; Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
Stay up to date on the latest news of the future of science and technology from your iPhone with full articles, images and offline viewing
Featuring every article from the magazine and website, plus links from around the Web. Also see our PopSci DIY feed
Share links with friends, comment on stories and more
In our December issue, Popular Science names the 100 best innovations of the year: bombproof wallpaper, self-parking cars, the fastest helicopter, and 97 more. Plus inventor profiles and videos.
Check out the best of what's new here.