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60 million children to be vaccinated against polio

Polio Eradication Logo Polio eradication
New case of polio appears in Cote d'Ivoire
At least 60 million children under five years of age in 16 West African countries are to be vaccinated this week against polio, the World Health Organization (WHO) reported on Tuesday. The world's largest vaccine manufacturer, Aventis Pasteur, has donated 30 million doses of oral polio vaccines to the Global Polio Eradication Initiative to facilitate the vaccination. "This week, 16 West African countries are uniting to vaccinate all children under five within their borders," WHO said in a press statement. "Immunization campaigns over the past two years have driven the number of polio-endemic countries in Africa to an all-time low. In 1999, 20 African countries were polio-endemic, but to date this year only three are considered endemic." The reduction in polio endemic countries was due to the Global Polio Eradication Initiative, a broad partnership forged to deliver polio vaccines to every child under five, WHO said. Almost three million of the 30 million doses of the donated vaccine would be used for immunization in Liberia. "We are further strengthening the solidarity which has brought us to the cusp of a polio-free world, and will indeed push us to full success," said Gro Harlem Brundtland, Director-General of the World Health Organization, said. The 16 countries are Benin, Burkina Faso, Cape Verde, The Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Cote d'Ivoire, Liberia, Mali, Mauritania, Niger, Nigeria, Senegal, Sierra Leone and Togo. The Global Polio Eradication Initiative is spearheaded by WHO, Rotary International, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and UNICEF. Aventis Pasteur has donated 120 million vaccine doses since 1997, mainly targeting African countries affected by conflict. Since its launch in 1988, the initiative has reduced the range of transmission of the polio virus from 125 countries to 10 countries in 2002. Of the 10, India, Nigeria and Pakistan continue to have high-intensity transmission, WHO said.

This article was produced by IRIN News while it was part of the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. Please send queries on copyright or liability to the UN. For more information: https://shop.un.org/rights-permissions

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