Shielding infants from crippling disease

About 11,000 volunteers and health workers on Tuesday began vaccinating infants against polio in Benin as part of a regional campaign to administer the vaccines to 80 million children in 16 West African countries. Caravans travelled throughout Benin ahead of the 23-25 October immunisation drive, raising communities' awareness of the virus by various means, including T-shirts bearing inscriptions such as 'Plus jamais ça' (Never again) and 'Bouter dehors la poliomyélite'(Kick polio out). The vaccines are being administered during National Immunisation Days (NIDs), which have been held annually over the past few years. The children immunised this week will receive a second dose of the vaccine on 27-29 November. Benin's government contributed some 70 million CFA francs (US $100,000) to this week's NIDs, while its partners - WHO, UNICEF, USAID and the Rotary Club - gave about 500 million CFA francs (just over US $700,000), the Beninese Health Ministry said. At the end of 2000, the polio virus was circulating in only 20 countries in the world, down from 125 when a Global Polio Eradication Initiative was launched in 1988. The annual NIDS are part of this initiative which aims to rid the world of polio by 2005. This year, the virus has been confirmed in just 10 countries, according to WHO. In West Africa, only Nigeria, Niger and Mauritania have reported new polio cases: a total of 20, way below the 1,199 the region registered in 1999. However, Nigeria is one of five remaining wild poliovirus reservoirs. Until the virus is eradicated there, it could be exported to neighbouring countries. The 16 participating countries in West Africa include Benin, Burkina Faso, Cape Verde, Côte d’Ivoire, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Liberia, Mali, Niger, Nigeria, Senegal, Sierra Leone and Togo. Mauritania will participate only in November's second round.