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Media Advisory
Europe on track to be certified polio-free
on 21 June 2002
Event would mark historic public health milestone
COPENHAGEN - The WHO European Region, comprising 873 million people
in 51 countries*, is on track to achieve
polio-free certification on 21 June. The European Regional Commission
for Certification of Poliomyelitis Eradication, an independent body
of international public health experts, will meet in Copenhagen, Denmark
on June 20 and 21 to determine whether the European Region has won the
battle against poliomyelitis. With no indigenous cases of polio in the
past three years, Europe would join the Americas and the Western Pacific
in achieving this historic certification. The goal to eradicate polio
globally by 2005 remains within reach.
WHAT:
Polio experts to announce decision on European polio-free certification
and outline remaining challenges to global polio eradication.
WHERE:
International Press Centre
2, Vestergade
DK-1456 Copenhagen
WHO:
Philip D. O'Brien, UNICEF Regional Director, Central and Eastern Europe
Dr Marc Danzon, Regional Director for Europe, World Health Organization
Sir Joe Smith, Chairman, European Regional Commission for Certification
of Poliomyelitis Eradication
Dr. David Fleming, Acting Director, US Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention
Rudolf Hörndler, Chairman, European Regional PolioPlus Committee,
Rotary International
WHEN:
10:00 a.m., Friday, 21 June
For further information, please contact:
Jo Bailey, UNICEF, New York
+1 212 326-7566, jbailey@unicef.org
Liuba Negru, WHO, Copenhagen +45 3917-1344,
mobile +45 20 45 92 74, lne@who.dk
Claudia Drake, WHO, Geneva +41 22
791-3832, mobile +41 79 475 5471, drakec@who.int
Christine McNab, WHO, Geneva +41
22 791-4688, mobile +41 22 791 4688, mcnabc@who.int
Vivian Fiore, Rotary International,
Chicago +1 847 866-3234, fiorev@rotaryintl.org
**For broadcasters: Video B-roll can be ordered
from Christine McNab at WHO. B-roll will also be broadcast on Thursday,
20 June 2002 on the European Broadcasting Union feed at 1405 Central
European Time (1205 GMT)..
* Member States of the WHO European Region: Albania, Andorra,
Armenia, Austria, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Belgium, Bosnia Herzegovina,
Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech R, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Georgia,
Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Israel, Kazakhstan,
Kyrgyzstan, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Moldova, Monaco, Netherlands,
Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Russia, San Marino, Slovak R, Slovenia,
Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, T.F.Y.R. Macedonia, Tajikistan, Turkey,
Turkmenistan, Ukraine, United Kingdom, Uzbekistan, Yugoslavia.
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