UNICEF reports no new cases of polio this year

Not a single case of polio has been reported so far this year in the Republic of Congo (ROC) and the coverage in the first round of the 2001 polio campaign again reached 100 percent, UNICEF announced in its most recent ROC country update. The ROC Ministry of Health, WHO and UNICEF jointly developed the current plan of three rounds of National Immunisation Days (NIDs), employing a door-to-door strategy to reach 600,000 children. According to UNICEF, the main challenges in eradicating polio from the country are access to interior rural areas and logistical limits such as fuel and vehicle shortages. In response to these constraints, UNICEF provided 30 motorcycles and emphasis was placed on reaching children in the difficult-to-reach areas, including pigmy villages and other remote rural areas. The ROC polio eradication initiative is jointly supported by the ROC government, WHO, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC-Atlanta), Rotary International, Italy and UNICEF. Polio coverage of 100 percent was achieved in 2000, with 23 new polio cases reported. In addition to these vaccination efforts, UNICEF has rehabilitated and re-equipped 58 integrated health centres throughout the country. Training and drugs were also provided to these health centres, financed by the US government. “This crucial activity needs to continue to cover all the 200 integrated health centres,” UNICEF noted.