by Sebastien Carliez in Baghdad

Thahab Al-Abyadh means "white gold". This village of some 13,000 people lying in the district of Abu Ghraib, 30 kilometres west of Baghdad, is known throughout Iraq for its dairy production. "It is also a poor neighborhood, where people's hygiene good practices and health education are limited," says Dr. Adnan Al-Jiburi, a dermatologist and volunteer with the Iraqi Red Crescent (IRCS).

"Thahab Al-Abyadh is typically a high-risk area for polio," he says.

In late September, Al-Jiburi and about 700 IRCS volunteers took part in a four-day campaign for poliomyelitis eradication organised across the country in partnership with the Iraqi Ministry of Health, the World Health Organisation and the United Nation's Children's Fund, Unicef.

Each year, about 5 million Iraqi children under the age of five are immunised against the communicable, but vaccine preventable disease.

"Our mission is to assist in registering children when they are vaccinated through home visits or at health centres, and then to make sure that all children in a given neighbourhood are covered," explains Al-Jiburi.

In Thahab Al-Abyadh, vaccination was carried out on the first day of the week. Two days later, as the daytime temperature tops 40 degrees celsius, pairs of Red Crescent volunteers go door-to-door across sandy alleys.

"This house is home to four families," says Adawiya Yassin, also known as Oum Khaled, a retired teacher and mother of three. "There are eight under-five children and all were immunised," she adds with a large smile. On the front wall is a sign drawn with coloured chalk, which indicates how many kids were vaccinated, and when.

"Next door, none of the four under-5 was given the drops as the family was out when the vaccinators first came," explains Ziyad, a 25-year-old volunteer, participating in his third consecutive campaign.

Today, a health worker accompanies the Red Crescent pair of volunteers, carrying a cool box with polio vaccines. Two "magic" drops are immediately given to every child in the house.

Usually, Ziyad explains to the parents that they should take their children to the nearby primary health centre for immunisation the next day. Any household where a child was not immunised is revisited at the end of the campaign.

"We hand over leaflets explaining what polio is and how to avoid being infected by the virus," Oum Khaled and Ziyad explain. The Red Crescent also produces short publicity spots, which are shown on television a week before the campaign starts and during the campaign itself, to raise public awareness.

"In Baghdad and its vicinity, 200 volunteers took part in the campaign," reckons Dr. Jamal Al-Karboli, the IRCS director for external relations. Campaigns, each of which has two four-day rounds, are organised at the beginning of spring and autumn.

The next round is scheduled for the end of October or early November. For each round, the International Federation is contributing around 60,000 Swiss francs to cover the production of promotion material and transportation of IRCS volunteers.

Efforts to eradicate polio from Iraq were intensified during 2000, after 77 cases were reported around the country the previous year. The Ministry of Health reported only four polio cases in 2000, and there have been none since.

But the Iraqi authorities and the IRCS are not complacent: "We are still worried that sporadic cases may arise," Al-Jiburi explains.

Teachers and local council leaders also participate in the national immunisation days, helping to ensure maximum coverage. According to a 2002 Unicef report, the campaigns prove successful because of good micro-planning and social mobilisation.

"The role of the Red Crescent and its dedicated volunteers is very much appreciated by the people in the communities," confirms Dr. Ramzi Rasul, health supervisor for the district of Abu Ghraib.

Meanwhile, Oum Khaled and Ziyad have started knocking on doors in Al-Zeytoon village, another "high-risk area" of the district. With only one concern in mind: the well-being of the children of Iraq.



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