Polio eradication effort continues

Polio cases worldwide dropped from 350,000 to 537 between 1988 and 2000 but despite their success, global efforts to eradicate the disease could still be affected by conflicts, the World Health Organisation reported on Tuesday. "The past year has reminded us that we live in a world where security and access to children cannot be guaranteed. So I urge the world to finish the job. Eradicate polio while we still have the opportunity", Gro Harlem Brundtland, Director-General of WHO, said. The 10 remaining endemic countries, in order of highest to lowest transmission, are India, Pakistan, Nigeria, Afghanistan, Niger, Somalia, Egypt, Angola, Ethiopia and Sudan. Six of them - Afghanistan, India, Nigeria, Pakistan, Somalia and Sudan - are undertaking mass immunization campaigns this week, as part of their final push to eliminate the virus, WHO said. The year 2002 has been set for the completion of the eradication programme spearheaded by WHO, UNICEF, Rotary and the CDC. In 2001 over 575 million children under five years of age were vaccinated worldwide, including 77 million in West Africa. Lack of funding could threaten global effort. The funding gap has been reduced from US $400 to $275 million. Some $725 million, out of the required $1 billion for the programme between 2002- 2005 has been pledged, the organisations said on Tuesday. Rotary International, which has so far contributed US$ 462 million to polio eradication, has launched a major fundraising drive among its 1.2 million members in 163 countries. Collecting the needed funds would be "priceless" in the battle against polio, Luis Vicente Giay of Rotary said. Polio is a highly infectious disease caused by a virus that mainly affects children under five years of age, causing total paralysis. One in 200 infections leads to irreversible paralysis (usually in the legs). Amongst those paralysed, 5 to 10 percent die when their breathing muscles become immobilized, WHO said.