Press
Release
Japan's gift bolsters child health
$12.6 Million Contribution to UNICEF for
Polio Eradication and Key Health and Nutrition Programs
in Pakistan, Uzbekistan and Tajikistan
TOKYO/ GENEVA/ NEW YORK, 21 December - The Japanese Government
has donated $12.6 million for essential health and nutrition
activities in the Afghanistan region, including polio
eradication, to bolster the chances of survival for thousands
of children in three countries, the United Nations Children's
Fund announced today.
The Japanese gift follows an earlier contribution of
$7.8 million for UNICEF's emergency relief efforts in
Afghanistan and surrounding countries and extends Japan's
sterling track record of major support to child health
and polio eradication world-wide.
"This latest contribution by Japan continues a long
tradition of outstanding support to the health and well-being
of children, particularly with regard to the global eradication
of polio," said Carol Bellamy, Executive Director
of UNICEF. "The money comes at a critical time when
UNICEF and partners are in urgent need of support to head-off
tens of thousands of child deaths in the Afghan region,"
she said.
The donation will cover essential health and nutrition
activities in three countries in the sub-region. In Pakistan,
$8.2 million will be used for National Immunisation Days
to eradicate polio. In Tajikistan, $1.5 million will cover
essential drugs and will strengthen the expanded programme
of immunization. In Uzbekistan, $2.9 million will provide
much-needed health supplies, essential drugs and micronutrients
and promote growth monitoring as well as immunization
activities.
"This contribution will significantly boost the
final push to eradicate polio in the sub-region and certify
the world polio free by the end of 2005," Bellamy
noted.
Pakistan and Afghanistan are two of the 10 remaining
countries where polio is still causing paralysis and death
of children. Over 40 percent of the total cases of polio
confirmed in South Asia in 2000 occurred in Pakistan and
Afghanistan.
Bellamy called on other donor nations to step up their
support to the global initiative to rid the world of polio.
"The campaign is succeeding, and the world is on
track of being certified polio-free by 2005, but we need
the financial support to achieve the target," she
said.
About Polio
Poliomyelitis (polio) is a highly infectious disease
caused by a virus that mainly affects children under three.
It invades the nervous system and can cause total paralysis
in a matter of hours. The virus enters the body through
the mouth and multiplies in the intestine. Initial symptoms
are fever, fatigue, headache, vomiting, stiffness in the
neck and pain in the limbs.
One in 200 infections leads to irreversible paralysis
(usually in the legs). Between five and ten per cent of
people infected with polio die as a result of the paralysis
of their breathing muscles. As there is no cure for polio,
the best treatment is prevention. A few drops of a powerful
vaccine protect a child for life.
Since the Global Polio Eradication Initiative was launched
in 1988, the annual incidence of poliomyelitis worldwide
has dropped by over 99%, from an estimated 350 000 to
2971 reported cases in 2000. A massive, accelerated effort
is underway to stop all poliovirus transmission as soon
as possible. The Region of the Americas was certified
polio-free in 1994, and the Western Pacific Region in
2000.
The Global Poliomyelitis Eradication Initiative is spearheaded
by WHO, Rotary International, the Centers for Diseases
Control and Prevention and UNICEF.
For further information, please contact:
Mohammad Jalloh, UNICEF Media, New York (212) 326-7516,
mjalloh@unicef.org
Liza Barrie, UNICEF Media, New York (212) 326- 7593, lbarrie@unicef.org
More information on polio
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