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How can one help PolioPlus Ride 2003?
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Afghanistan NIDs reach 6 million children Nearly 6 million Afghan children were administered the
oral polio Vaccine during National Immunization Days (NIDs) on 16-18
April. Participating In the house-to-house effort as vaccinators,
mobilizers, supervisors and monitors, some 60,000 Afghan volunteers and
health workers brought their
"We are on the verge of claiming an important victory for all of Afghanistan, and indeed for the world," said Afghan Public Health Minister Suhalia Seddiq, in a joint press release with WHO. "Working together, We are making sure that Afghanistan will become a healthier place for children. We appreciate the work of all the partners and donors who have provided us support for this important cause." According to the press release, only one case of polio, involving an 18-month old boy in Afghanistan's eastern province of Nangarhar, has been detected. In 2001, 11 cases were reported in just seven of Afghanistan's 331 districts. "This progress demonstrates that despite all the odds, we can eliminate polio from Afghanistan if we continue to tackle the problem in a determined way," said Dr. Eric Laroche, UNICEF's Country Representative for Afghanistan. "Afghans have demonstrated a tremendous commitment to protecting their children against polio. I have great hope that Afghanistan will be able to reach the goal of stopping transmission of the wild poliovirus by the end of 2002," said Dr. Said Salah Youssouf, WHO country representative for Afghanistan. Unlike in the past, there was something different about the latest NIDs - women participated in droves. In Kabul, the Afghan capital, as many as 70 percent of the volunteers and health workers were women. Since 1994, when the first NIDs were launched in Afghanistan,
Rotarians Have assisted by contributing funds and, sometimes under the
most difficult situations, participating in immunization activities.
To date, The
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