Iraq - Pays en crise

Iraqi Prime Minister praises polio campaign

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NEW YORK, 23 September 2004 - Iraqi Prime Minister Iyad Allawi has announced that almost every child in the country has been immunized against polio following a campaign supported by UNICEF and its partners.

"Last week we completed a national polio campaign, reaching over 90 per cent of all Iraqi children," he said told a joint session of the US Congress.

Iraq's Ministry of Health launched the campaign earlier this month - the first since the invasion in 2003. In spite of the constant threat of violence, vaccinators went door-to-door to reach the 4.7 million children needing immunization.

UNICEF's Chief of Health Dr. Alexander Malyavin praised Iraq's interim government for its courage and determination in the face of continued insecurity and violence.

"Working against the odds, the authorities in Iraq have led an inspired campaign, successfully mobilizing vaccination teams across the country, who have worked together to make sure Iraq stays polio-free," he said.

"In a time of such uncertainty, the continuing success of the campaign to eradicate polio is surely a beacon of hope for Iraq."

Prime Minister Allawi said progress was also being made in other areas thanks to continuing humanitarian aid.

"Schools and hospitals are being rebuilt. The clinics are open and reopened. There are now over 6 million children at school, many of them attending one of the 2,500 schools that have been renovated since liberation," he said.

Ensuring that children have access to schooling is one of UNICEF's priorities. Working  with the Iraqi Ministry of Education, UNICEF has helped rehabilitate 220 schools. Teaching materials are being distributed to 18,000 schools and more than 5 million pupils were able to take their final exams last year and this year.