UN to vaccinate 7.8 million Sudanese children against polio

The United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) said Saturday an estimated 7.8 million children across Sudan will be targeted in the next round of polio immunization campaign starting on Sunday.

In a statement, UNICEF said the National Immunization Days campaign to be backed also by World Health Organization and other partners led by ministries of health in both North and southern Sudan, aim to ensure that Sudan remains polio-free in 2006 but organizers cautioned that success will depend upon guaranteed access for health workers.

"The campaign against polio is not only vital to the ongoing development of Sudan, but also to global efforts to eradicate polio. The commitment being shown by health officials, partner organizations and local volunteers is truly heartening," UNICEF Representative Ted Chaiban said in a statement issued in Nairobi .

Chaiban urged communities to ensure the safety of vaccinators in areas of the country still affected by fighting, saying that safeguarding a child's health rises above any political differences that may exist in communities.

"It is imperative that where fighting continues, vaccinators and monitors are guaranteed safe access, and parents are able to present their children for vaccination. We rely upon all those still involved in conflict in Sudan to provide those guarantees," he said.

Some 40,000 vaccinators will travel from house to house in every community in Africa's largest country during the three-day campaign, administering oral polio vaccines to all children under five, and Vitamin A supplements to 4.9 million children aged six months to five years.

No polio cases have been reported anywhere in Sudan since June 2005; in 2004 Sudan was close to being declared polio-free.

With many children living in areas that are hard to reach, and the risks of cross-border transmission growing due to population displacement, the campaigns are a critical addition to routine immunization efforts, especially as health infrastructures are still weak in many parts of the country.

Source: Xinhua