English 
Francais 
عربي 
The WHO’s new “final offensive” against polio
The WHO and its partners in the Global Polio Eradication Initiative have launched an appeal for donations to eradicate the rampant poliovirus. Four countries are still suffering from this plague: Afghanistan, India, Nigeria and Pakistan. Sixty million dollars will be needed by April 2007.
Three years ago, the world was on the verge of getting rid of polio when a religious Muslim organisation in northern Nigeria halted the immunisation campaigns. The direct result of this was an upsurge in polio cases in thirteen countries that had until then been free of the disease.
Now only a few regions in Nigeria, Afghanistan, India and Pakistan cannot contain the spread of the poliovirus. Hence the decision by the WHO to bring, over the next twelve months, vaccination cover and immunity of children to levels that have brought an end to the disease in the parts of these countries that are free of polio. In other words, to over 85%.
But there is not enough money to do this. Sixty million dollars are urgently needed. The financing of the immunisation campaigns for 2007-2008 is still not guaranteed. There is a deficit of 575 million dollars, and the total cost will be 1. 27 billion! Hence this appeal to collect national and international funds. Of the 193 Member States of the WHO, 189 have already managed to stop the transmission of the poliovirus.
Print this article
Share on Facebook
Share on Twitter
Send to a friend
Convert to pdf
Copyright Authorization
12 article(s)
Polio – concern in Central Asia and the Caucasus
Eradicating polio remains an uncertain objective…
Nigeria struck by a polio epidemic caused by vaccination
An appeal for immunisation in peace
Polio: the end is not yet in sight
Polio: over 3 million Africans vaccinated in 2 days
Polio further spreading because of Nigeria
Polio: Guinea and Mali reinfected!
Polio: a worldwide counter-attack to the upsurge of the virus in Africa
