 |
|
|
|
 |
 |
Home / Employment / Contact / Search / Français / Español        |
 |
 |
|
|
|
|
|||||||||
|
Press ReleaseJoint Statement by WHO, UNICEF UNICEF, WHO Call for Safe Passage of
|
A three -person team from WHO and Operation Lifeline Sudan (OLS) Security is due in the area on Saturday, 28 July 2001. The need for a thorough investigation is urgent and critical, as there is threat of a polio outbreak. The UN agencies are asking that the region remain calm while investigators work through local populations to determine if the paralysing disease has gained a foothold, and take the necessary steps to control spread of the virus.
A team from WHO and UNICEF offices in Khartoum is also preparing a joint investigation of areas controlled by government forces.
"Sudan is a priority country for the Global Polio Eradication Initiative," said Dr Gro Harlem Brundtland, Director-General of the World Health Organization. "It is now one of only a handful where the virus still circulates and paralyses children. Continued progress in polio's eradication in this region will only be possible if health workers can safely investigate and respond to cases."
A wild type-1 poliovirus was isolated from the stool sample taken from a two year old girl in mid June, and confirmed earlier this week through laboratory testing. The teams will investigate the child and all of her contacts, and take samples from other locations to check for an outbreak. The teams will also make preparations for full-scale polio immunization of all children under five in the region.
Because of insecurity, WHO has not been able to establish a polio eradication infrastructure in Ruweng County, and has not conducted polio immunizations there this year. Significantly, WHO has determined that the little girl at the centre of the investigation had never received polio vaccine.
"I'm sure all parents want their children immunized. The hurdle
we face is reaching them safely and consistently. For that we need every
one's help. And I'm asking for it", said UNICEF's Executive
Director Carol Bellamy.
Recent incidents in the Democratic Republic of the Congo highlight the same concerns. During National Immunization Days earlier this month two polio vaccinators were killed and five health workers were captured and beaten before being released. Despite these incidents, calm in the remainder of the country allowed for the vaccination of 11 million children under five. These National Immunization Days were part of a larger coordinated effort between Angola, Congo, the DR Congo and Gabon - aimed at immunizing 16 million children against the disease.
In early 1999, a large polio outbreak occurred in Angola, when 1103 children were paralysed and 89 died from the disease. The victims were from families living in overcrowded municipalities in the capital Luanda, who had fled to escape conflict.
Since 1988, the Global Polio Eradication Initiative has reduced the global incidence of the disease by 99% - from an estimated 350,000 cases to just 2881* reported in 2000. At the beginning of 2001, the wild poliovirus was circulating in 20 countries - drastically reduced from 125 in 1988. The goal is to certify the world polio-free in 2005.
As the remaining polio-endemic countries include Afghanistan, Angola, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Somalia and Sudan, ensuring access to all children is a continuing challenge. In the past, "Days of Tranquillity" have been observed in many conflict countries to allow for the safe passage of health workers so that children can be reached and immunized.
The Global Polio Eradication Initiative is spearheaded by World Health Organization, Rotary International, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF)
***
* Note: Please see www.polioeradication.org for weekly updates of polio cases worldwide
For further information, please contact:
Liza Barrie,
UNICEF Media, New York
(212) 326- 7593 lbarrie@unicef.org
Christine McNab,
WHO +41 22 791 4688,
mobile +41 79 254 6815, mcnabc@who.int
