Health officials in door-to-door polio immunisation drive

Central African Republic (CAR) health officials have begun door-to-door polio immunisation campaigns in the northern provinces of Bamingui-Bangoran and Vakaga, state-owned Radio Centrafrique reported on Monday. An assistant to the director of regional services in the Ministry of Health, Dr Jean-Pierre Mandabingo, said the campaigns mainly target child aged up to five years. "We are using efficient technical and logistic means to reach children in remote villages," Mandabingo was quoted as saying. The radio reported that at least 1,000 children would be immunised during this campaign. The vaccination campaigns in the two provinces follow others conducted in November-December 2003 across the country. Although the two provinces were not directly affected by the October 2002 to 15 March 2003 rebellion in the northwest of the country, they were cut off from the capital, Bangui, hindering immunisation efforts.