Insecurity could affect polio campaign, say health workers

The success of the current polio vaccination campaign in Sudan will depend on how easily children living in remote, insecure areas, particularly the war-ravaged western Darfur region, can be reached, health workers said. The first round of the 2006 polio vaccinations in Sudan began on Monday, as part of a national campaign supported by the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) and the World Health Organization (WHO). The campaign, which aims to immunise 8.1 million children under age five, is backed by the health ministry of the government of southern Sudan. "It is crucial to vaccinate all children, especially those living in remote and insecure places. If these groups missed the vaccination, the polio virus will have a golden chance to reintroduce and establish itself again," said Salah Haithami, WHO polio eradication coordinator for Khartoum. "The last outbreak in 2004 started in Darfur, and from there it spread to all Sudan," he added. "If this happens again, it will be a serious problem to all achievements obtained in the last two years." UNICEF and WHO said "continued attention and vigilance" was necessary because population displacement, cross-border movement and the return of refugees from neighbouring countries could re-introduce the virus to Sudan. "The great challenge is to access insecure areas in Darfur and very difficult areas in the south. Insecurity and difficult topography are the real hindering factors to reach all children," Haithami said. Other challenges, he added, included securing sufficient funds and maintaining international technical support. Sudan registered 127 confirmed polio cases in 2004. During the first half of 2005, only 27 cases were reported, bringing the total number of cases to 154. No new cases of polio have been reported since June 2005. Polio ("poliomyelitis") is caused by a virus that enters the body orally and infects the intestinal lining. It may proceed to the bloodstream and the central nervous system, causing muscle weakness, paralysis and in some cases permanent deformity of the limbs.