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September 27, 2002

INTERNATIONAL IMMUNIZATION NEWS

"WHO Officials Say Horn of Africa Region Close to Being Polio-Free" BBC Worldwide Monitoring (www.monitor.bbc.co.uk) (09/25/02)

According to Dr. Bruce Aylward, the coordinator of the World Health Organization's (WHO) Polio Eradication Initiative, Ethiopia, Sudan and Somalia have managed to nearly wipe polio out completely since massive vaccination initiatives began.  Only two cases of polio have been recorded in Somalia this year, and no cases of the disease have been detected in Sudan and Ethiopia for over a year, the WHO said.  But a press release from the WHO noted that $50 million is needed for 2003 to 2005, in order to vaccinate 22 million children annually and to conduct international-standard surveillance for polio in the three nations.  "If we are to truly finish with polio in the Horn, and in all of Africa, every G8 country must fulfill its commitment to polio eradication, and other countries must join them," stated Dr. John Sever of the Rotary International PolioPlus committee.

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