More than 85 million children under age five will be immunized against
polio in 19 countries across West and Central Africa in a massive
example of cross-border cooperation aimed at stopping a yearlong polio
epidemic.
Nine of the countries -- Burkina Faso, Cameroun, Chad, Guinea, Liberia,
Mali, Mauritania, Senegal, and Sierra Leone -- are considered to have
active outbreaks of polio (i.e., cases within the last six months).
The campaign kicked off on 6 March in these countries as well as in
Benin, Cape Verde, Central African Republic, Gambia, Ghana,
Guinea-Bissau, and Nigeria. Cote d'Ivoire, Niger, and Togo will join at
a later date due to political transitions or elections.
This complex logistical operation is largely made possible by US$30
million in funding released by Rotary International.
The chair of Rotary's Africa Regional PolioPlus Committee, Ambroise
Tshimbalanga-Kasongo, said: "We at Rotary are proud to have provided the
funding necessary for the March rounds, and we call on others to play
their part in making Africa polio-free by providing funding necessary
for more high-coverage campaigns."
More resources
* Follow the immunizations with an interactive Google map
<http://maps.google.com/maps/ms?ie=UTF8&hl=en&msa=0&msid=111706911275999\
519445.0004631fe8666a05acdea&z=4> * Watch a video of UNICEF
Goodwill Ambassador and polio survivor Mia Farrow in Chad
<http://www.twitvid.com/EB2D9> * Learn more about Rotary's work in
polio eradication
<http://www.rotary.org/en/ServiceAndFellowship/Polio/Pages/ridefault.asp\
x>
Source : Rotary International News / Courtesy : eFlash_Rotary |
