THOUSANDS VOLUNTEER TO STAMP OUT POLIO
Feb 12th, 2009 by admin
Twenty million children in West Africa are to be vaccinated against polio in the next three days. It is part of an initiative to stamp out the disease by UNICEF – the United Nations Children’s Fund – and West African health ministries. Thousands of volunteers in eight countries have signed up to administer the oral vaccine. Polio is an incurable virus which causes paralysis. It spreads easily in heavily populated areas with poor sanitation. Significant progress has been made in the fight against polio in recent years. But 23 countries which had been declared polio-free have been re-infected, partly due to fears about the effects of the vaccination.
Meanwhile Bill and Melinda Gates on their maiden visit to Nigeria pledged to eradicate the virus. Gates while in Nigeria spoke of the need to seriously work at ensuring that every Nigerian child is protected from Polio. Program Officer for the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Melissa Derry says the Foundation works to help all people lead healthy, productive lives. In developing countries, it focuses on improving people’s health and giving them the chance to lift themselves out of hunger and extreme poverty.
