Central Africa
Anti-polio campaign succeeding in Central Africa

afrol News, 8 August - Tens of thousands of vaccination teams have fanned across Central Africa, going door-to-door to protect millions of children against polio in the first-ever coordinated immunization campaign in the conflict-affected region, the United Nations World Health Organization (WHO) said yesterday.

During several days in July, August and September, the massive effort will result in the vaccination of 16 million children in Angola, Congo Brazzaville, Congo Kinshasa (DRC) and Gabon. The "synchronized" National Immunization Days (NIDs) campaign is a major step in the global effort to eradicate the crippling disease, as Angola and the DRC are considered two of the few remaining bastions of the wild poliovirus. 

Child being immunized. Photo: Marcel Crozet/WHO.

According to WHO, results from the first round of synchronized National Immunization Days from 5 to 9 July were "encouraging," with over 15 million children under five vaccinated. However, despite major efforts by health authorities and vaccination teams, full coverage was not possible in some areas in view of ongoing conflict. 

In the Congo Kinshasa's Equateur province, five vaccinators were arrested and later released, WHO informs. In the same province, a volunteer who was mobilizing the population for the campaign was killed.

UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan has appealed for calm during the three vaccination periods, urging "all leaders in these countries and all warring parties to respect the National Immunization Days as 'days of tranquillity' and to ensure the safe passage of health workers and volunteers in their efforts to reach all children with polio vaccine."

For the first time during this round, from 9 to 13 August, health workers will be administering vitamin A along with the polio vaccine. This life-saving micronutrient reduces childhood mortality and morbidity by 23 per cent. In 2000, the administration of vitamin A prevented about 240,000 childhood deaths worldwide, according to WHO.

During the third vaccination period from 13 to 17 September, US National Basketball Association all-star Dikembe Mutombo will travel to Congo Kinshasa to help immunize children in his home country and raise the project's visibility.

Full results of the three rounds of synchronized National Immunization Days will be available in early October 2001, WHO said. In the rest of the world, the vaccination campaign already has proven a success. 

There has been unprecedented progress in polio eradication since the World Health Assembly's 1999 Resolution calling for the acceleration of polio eradication activities in all countries of the world. Since then, the global polio burden has been cut in half, and the number of polio-endemic countries has been reduced from 50 to 20.

Sources: Based on UN sources

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