More than 85 million children to be immunized against polio in 19 countries
Rotary International News -- 10 March 2010
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."
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