UNICEF to immunize 85 million children against polio in West and Central Africa

Shantha Bloemen, UNICEF

NEW YORK (March 9, 2010) — For children in West and Central Africa, the threat of the crippling disease polio still looms.

Though it has been eradicated in much of the word the virulent polio virus is still endemic in Nigeria. In 2008, it spread from the north of the country to other nations in the region.

Many of these countries were on the way to being declared polio-free and had successfully eradicated the virus. Yet with the movement of people across borders, and the inadequate level of routine immunization in many areas, the virus has quickly spread. Now, many of these areas are reinfected, threatening more children with paralysis and even death.

A first wave of immunization in reinfected countries has made progress against the virus. In the past six months, however, outbreaks have remained active in Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Chad, Guinea, Liberia, Mali, Mauritania, Senegal and Sierra Leone.

Campaign includes 19 countries

© UNICEF video

A small child receives the polio vaccine as part of a massive campaign to eradicate the disease in West and Central Africa. 

In an effort to curtail the spread and work towards the global eradication of polio, a massive vaccination campaign is about to take place in West and Central Africa. In an extraordinary display of solidarity and coordination, a set of synchronized cross-border vaccination campaigns will be conducted in 19 countries in the region.

The campaign is being spearheaded by the Global Polio Eradication Initiative, a network of partners including national governments, the World Health Organization, Rotary International, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, UNICEF and the International Federation of the Red Cross.

The aim is to reach every child under the age of five. Without a critical mass of children being immunized, the virus will not be stopped. The plan is ambitious; more than 400,000 volunteers and health workers aim to immunize 85 million children.

Challenging terrain

© UNICEF video

Health workers take the vaccine to homes as part of the campaign to eradicate polio. 

In a massive logistical exercise, vaccination teams will cross some of the toughest and most challenging terrain in Africa to ensure that children are reached. The teams, equipped with special carriers that ensure the vaccine remains below the required 46.4 degrees Fahrenheit, will go door-to-door in search of every child under five.

Learning from a similar campaign that took place last year, experienced health workers are being deployed to locations that have proven to be the most challenging. A special plan has been put in place to focus on the border areas between countries, and an independent monitoring system has been developed to track progress.

To make sure parents are informed and understand the importance of having their children vaccinated, a massive information campaign is under way. Partners—including heads of government, local district officials, religious leaders and pop stars—are spreading the word.

Good news, too, is a new vaccine that can target both of the remaining wild polio serotypes. It will be introduced in Benin and Nigeria in the first round, then in all countries in the second. This not only makes the logistics simpler but increases the chances that children will be fully protected.

For West and Central Africa's children, life is already filled with many challenges. Eradicating polio and preventing a life of disability, exclusion and physical hardship will be one less threat to their survival, welfare and development. With better coverage that leaves no child unvaccinated, these campaigns can succeed in making West and Central Africa polio-free.

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