Angola embarks on ambitious polio effort after end
of war
A month after the formal declaration of the end of more
than a
quarter-century of civil war in Angola, the government
and the Global Polio
Eradication Initiative have rolled out an ambitious vaccination
campaign to
rid the country of the crippling disease.
The massive effort started on 10 May with a three-day
Sub National
Immunization Days (SNIDs) that targeted some 2.3 million
children, many of
whom live in areas that were previously cut off by the
armed conflict that
ended on 4 April with a peace accord between government
and the UNITA (Union
For the Total Liberation of Angola) rebels.
Focusing on 40 high-risk municipalities across the country,
the SNIDs also
targeted areas where UNITA soldiers and their families
are assembling ahead
of demobilization. Past efforts were hampered by
inaccessibility as well as
security and logistical problems.
Seizing the unique opportunity offered by the end of the
war, the Angolan
government and the World Health Organization (WHO) in
mid-April laid out a
strategy for eradicating polio in Angola. As part
of the effort,
synchronized National Immunization Days (NIDs) are planned
for July in
Angola, Gabon, Congo, DR Congo, and Sao Tome and Principe.
Routine
immunizations also are being stepped up with Rotarians,
community leaders,
churches, scouts, and non-governmental organizations
playing a critical role
in social mobilization and the delivery of oral polio
vaccine.
In 2001, Angola recorded only a single case of polio in
the province of
Lunda-Sul, in addition to three others detected in a
refugee camp for
Angolans in neighboring Zambia. The children in
the camps were reached in a
special immunization effort early this year.
The Rotary Foundation has contributed more than US$2.7
million towards polio
eradication in Angola through the PolioPlus program.
In addition, the
Foundation has contributed more than $3.7 million through
PolioPlus Partners
for surveillance and NID projects since 1998. PolioPlus
Partners has
contributed more than half a million dollars for Angolan
Rotarians to pay
for publicity and social mobilization items such as T-shirts,
posters,
banners, and media ads during all rounds of NIDs this
year.
