African Children to Get Polio Vaccines
African children living in countries still suffering from polio, a disease eradicated in most countries, are about to receive some help.
In the fight against crippling diseases that strike down children, polio is the word of the day. The Joint Global Polio Eradication Initiative and the International Federation of the Red Cross have announced that orally-administered vaccines for polio will be given to 85 million vulnerable children living in 16 west and central African countries.
Countries with outbreaks that occurred in the last six months will benefit when the campaign kicks off on Saturday; they are: Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Chad, Guinea, Liberia, Mali, Mauritania, Senegal , Sierra Leone, Nigeria, Ghana, Benin, Central African Republic, Gambia, Cape Verde and Guinea Bissau (Niger, Togo and Cote d’Ivoire will be incorporated at a later date).
Polio (full name, poliomyelitis) is an infectious disease spread by a virus that invades the body’s nervous system, which can cause paralysis in only a matter of hours. The virus enters through the mouth and undergoes viral replication in the intestinal tract. 1 in every 200 infections leads to irreversible paralysis of the legs, while 5-10% of infected patients die when their respiratory muscles are paralyzed, reports the World Health Organization (WHO). There is no cure for polio, which affects children under five years old most often. However, a multiple-dose vaccination given over the course of early childhood can prevent infection.
The number of known cases of polio have declined 99% to less than 2 000 in 2006 from 350 000 in 1988, when the WHO launched the Global Polio Eradication Initiative. The initiative has prevented the paralyzing of over 5 million children, who would otherwise have likely contracted polio. And, while 400 million children were vaccinated as of 2007 data, polio transmission continues to be endemic (prevalent in a region, but confined to it) in India, northern Nigeria and segments along the Afghanistan-Pakistan border especially, according to the WHO.
Last year there were more than 1 500 cases of polio worldwide (the actual figure may be higher, as all cases from difficult-to-reach populations may not have been reported). Many would call this a success-and historically-speaking, it most certainly is. But, rights-based approaches mean that the whole picture must be taken into consideration because rights are inherent to each individual simply by virtue of being human. Keeping in mind the importance of a child’s right to health, we have to ask that question, "What about those 1 500 hundred children?"
Commenting on the launch of the Global Initiative’s campaign, WHO Regional Director for Africa, Dr. Luis Gomes Sambo said, "From the top leadership to local district administrators in every country, we are each accountable to the African child - to vaccinate every child and achieve high coverage."
