30th November 1999
Is AIDS a Man-Made Plague?

New research revives the theory that HIV may have originated in a polio vaccine.

Tony Karon reports in a Time Daily (http://www.time.com/time/daily/) book review:

We need to know because we need to know: A new book hypothesizing that AIDS originated in a polio vaccine may reflect our discomfort with being unable to control our environment more than it provides any scientific breakthrough. British journalist Michael Hooper's "The River" amasses a wealth of circumstantial evidence supporting the theory that the HIV virus made the jump from animals to humans via an experimental batch of polio vaccine manufactured in part from chimpanzee tissue that may have been infected. "This theory is partially testable, because there are still some stocks of the oral polio vaccine in question" says TIME science correspondent Christine Gorman. "But some people may ask what the point of conducting such tests would be, since there's no question of malice and the answer has no implications for medicine and science today -- you're talking about a technology of 50 years ago. Now, genetic engineering allows us to create in controlled laboratory conditions vaccines and drugs once made from animal tissue."

The issue of whether the HIV virus made the jump to humans via a vaccine, a direct blood infection from a monkey bite or any of the other hypotheses is of little scientific utility, and this area of inquiry is unlikely to draw research resources away from the more pressing search for a vaccine and a cure. But just as we're not satisfied with perennially checking the "don't know" box in explaining an air crash, we're burdened, as a culture, to find an explanation for a phenomenon that has killed 16 million people -- and has infected 33 million more -- in less than two decades. "The interesting thing is that in Hooper's explanation, as in all the plausible scenarios for how the virus made the jump to humans, the key element is a chance encounter," says Gorman. "In other words, in all of them there's a common element -- bad luck."

The complete text of the news report can be found at http://www.time.com/time/daily/0,2960,35205-101991130,00.html

See also NewsBites 15th December 1999 "Researchers Challenge Theory That Polio Trials Led to AIDS."

Notification of the above news item was received via NewsIndex http://www.newsindex.com/

27th November 1999
Polio Eradication: Kenya: Catholic Stand On Disease Criticised.

In Africa News Online (http://www.africanews.org/) the Nation Correspondent reports from Nairobi:

A day after Aids was declared a national disaster, Nation writers Njeri Rugene, Francis Mwaka and David Mugonyi bring you reports on the most urgent issues being discussed at the ongoing symposium for Members of Parliament in Mombasa.

MPs yesterday accused the Catholic Church of being the greatest impediment in the fight against HIV/Aids and other sexually-transmitted diseases in Kenya.

Kimilili MP Mukhisa Kituyi asked why the church was preaching against the use of condoms as a prevention against contracting the human immunodefficiency virus which causes Aids.

"The Catholic Church is undermining every effort being made by those fighting HIV and we want to know what the church stands to gain when millions of Kenyans are dying,"Dr Kituyi said.

He challenged the Catholics to accept the reality that even if they preached abstinence from sex before marriage, Kenyans, and particularly young people who are sexually active, will still engage in sexual activities.

He said this was the bitter reality that the Catholic Church and Kenyans must live with if they have to win the war against HIV.

His sentiments were echoed by National Development Party leader Raila Odinga who said the church should accept reality and hold dialogue with the other stakeholders.

But the two came under a stinging attack from die-hard Catholic MPs who shouted at Mr. Raila to leave the church alone.

But after Speaker Francis Kaparo also declared that he was Catholic, tempers cooled down.

Mr. Kaparo said the Catholic Church should accept to hold dialogue with other stakeholders and it should not be seen as if it was against the anti-Aids campaign.

He said it was wrong for some sections of the Catholic church leadership to advise mothers in some parts of the country not take their children to the hospital for polio vaccination as it was claimed to contain HIV.

Earlier, the MPs had been told by ministry of health officials that some Catholic clergy in Central and some parts of Eastern Province had advised worshippers not take their children for polio vaccination as it was contaminated by HIV.

The allegations were termed as baseless and nonsensical by the Minister of Medical Services, Dr Amukoa Anangwe, who asked why there should be a conspiracy to provide polio kits containing HIV to people of Central and some parts of Eastern provinces.

Permanent Secretary Julius Meme said it was unethical for some people to spread such malicious rumours and cause innocent children to be denied their basic right to medical care.

He said that when the ministry heard of the allegations, it compelled the World Health Organisation to certify that all the anti-polio vaccines given to Kenya were clean.

The MPs were also informed that the ministry of health volunteered some anti-polio kits which were given to some Catholic clergymen and later taken to the Vatican for further analysis. It was claimed that the Vatican tests found the anti-polio vaccination to be clean.

Mathira MP Matu Wamae called for the involvement of the local members of the parliament in affairs related to public health in order to eliminate any suspicion.

The complete text of the news report can be found at http://www.africanews.org/east/kenya/stories/19991127/19991127_feat16.html

Notification of the above news item was received via NewsIndex http://www.newsindex.com/

For Polio eradication and vaccine related resources see our directory Polio Virus, Vaccine and Eradication

24th November 1999
Polio Eradication: Gates Charity To Fund Global Vaccinations.

The Chicago Tribune (http://www.chicago.tribune.com) carried the following Reuters report:

SEATTLE Microsoft Corp. Chairman Bill Gates' charitable fund said on Tuesday that it would donate $750 million over five years to help vaccinate children in developing countries against killer diseases.

The donation by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation will help launch the Global Fund for Children's Vaccines, which will begin to buy and distribute vaccines in the next six to eight months.

That fund will work with international development and finance agencies, UNICEF, the World Bank and the World Health Organization as well as pharmaceutical companies to vaccinate against tuberculosis, polio, tetanus, hepatitis B and measles.

They also will vaccinate children against rotavirus, which causes sometimes fatal diarrhea, and pneumococcus, which causes meningitis.

"There are existing vaccines which if distributed properly could save 3 to 4 million children's lives a year," said James Wolfensohn, president of the World Bank.

The Gates foundation last year gave $100 million to speed new vaccines to children in developing countries.

Gates and his wife, Melinda, in September pledged $1 billion over 20 years to finance scholarships for minority students through the United Negro College Fund.

Bill and Melinda Gates have donated about $15 billion this year to their foundation, now the nation's biggest charitable fund with assets of $17 billion, according to foundation officials.

That reduced Gates' total wealth to $77.5 billion as of Sept. 28, but he remains the world's richest man, well ahead of investor Warren Buffett, whose $36 billion fortune ranks him No. 2.

The complete text of the news report can be found at http://www.chicago.tribune.com/
version1/article/0,1575,SAV-9911240104,00.html

Notification of the above news item was received via NewsIndex http://www.newsindex.com/

For Polio eradication and vaccine related resources see our directory Polio Virus, Vaccine and Eradication

23rd November 1999
Polio Eradication: Liberia: Polio Campaign Launched.

In Africa News Online (http://www.africanews.org/) the UN Integrated Regional Information Network (IRIN) reports in the IRIN-WA Weekly Round-up:

A campaign to sensitise the public about polio eradication was launched on Sunday in Tubmanburg, Bomi County, the National Coordinator of the National Immunisation Days (NIDs) told IRIN.

Social mobilisation activities preparing the population for vaccination will last until 15 January, Dr Abebu Hiedala said on Tuesday, "while the actual vaccination will take place over two days in each of the following months, January, February and March".

Parents will be encouraged to take their children to local sites, health centres, churches or markets, as designated by the county health officer. All children under the age of five are targeted for vaccination and some 700,000 are expected to receive the vaccine in the first three months of the year. Non-governmental organisations will provide logistical support such as fuel and vehicles, while employees will also be seconded as volunteers to help carry out the programme, he said.

In 1988 the World Health Assembly established a target to eradicate polio worldwide by the year 2000. Partners include the World Health Organisation, UNICEF, the Centre for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta and Rotary International. Liberia joined the global polio eradication project in 1998 and in January this year, Hiedala said, vaccinated some 650,000 children.

This item is delivered by the UN's IRIN humanitarian information unit (e-mail: irin@ocha.unon.org; fax: +254 2 622129; Web: http://www.reliefweb.int/IRIN), but may not necessarily reflect the views of the United Nations. If you re-print, copy, archive or re-post this item, please retain this credit and disclaimer.

The complete text of the news report can be found at http://www.africanews.org/west/stories/19991123_feat1.html

Notification of the above news item was received via NewsIndex http://www.newsindex.com/

For Polio eradication and vaccine related resources see our directory Polio Virus, Vaccine and Eradication

22nd November 1999

Polio Eradication: Millions of Indian children vaccinated against polio.

The Sri Lanka Daily News carries an AFP report dated 21st November from New Delhi:

Millions of children under five were vaccinated against polio across India on Sunday in a drive to eradicate the disease by next year.

The national government, pledging to eradicate polio in a year, immunised 250 million infants last December and January.

A.K. Walia, the health minister of the state of New Delhi, about 98 percent of the children in the Indian capital had been immunised.

Despite the campaign India is still a major bastion of polio, which attacks the respiratory and nervous systems and in the worst cases can kill or cause severe paralysis.

In 1995, there were 2,993 reported cases of polio in India, compared with 2,836 in the rest of the world put together.

In 1996, the figure for India fell to about 1,000, but a year later it rose to more than 1,800.

The complete text of the news report can be found at http://www.lanka.net/lakehouse/1999/11/22/for02.html

Polio Eradication: Liberian Daily News Bulletin.

In Africa News Online (http://www.africanews.org/) Star Radio (Monrovia) reports:

A campaign to sensitize the public about polio eradication has been launched in Tubmanburg, Bomi County. The Social Mobilization Committee, of the National Immunization Days (NIDs) launched the two-month campaign yesterday. The campaign comes ahead of the second phase of a drive to protect children against the polio disease.

Actual vaccination against polio will be conducted two days each in January, February and march next year. A study by the United Nations Development Program, shows Liberia has 100,000 polio victims. The National Coordinator of the NIDs, Doctor Abebu Hiedala encouraged parents to take the campaign serious to eradicate polio. Similar campaign was held early this year nation wide. More than 600,000 children under five years were vaccinated after the campaign. The up coming campaign is targeting more than 700,000 children under the age of five. The social mobilization committee uses traditional music and cultural performances, as its mobilization strategy. The committee's head, Ambassador Julie Endee says three teams of cultural performers, will tour the country to spread polio eradication messages. She says an anti polio beauty pageant will be held and the winner will tour the country, to tell people about the polio disease. The current campaign ends on January 15 next year.

Star Radio is staffed by Liberian journalists and managed by the Swiss NGO Fondation Hirondelle (http://www.hirondelle.org/) with financing from the U.S. Agency for International Development through the International Foundation for Election Systems.

STAR radio, Sekou Toure Avenue, Mamba point, Monrovia, Liberia. Tel: (+231) 226820 Fax:(+231) 227360; E-mail:star@liberia.net. Fondation Hirondelle 3, rue Traversiere 1018 Lausanne, Suisse Tel: (+4121) 647 2805 Fax: (+41 21) 647 4469; E-mail: info@hirondelle.org.

The complete text of the news report can be found at http://www.africanews.org/west/liberia/stories/19991122_feat1.html

Notification of the above news items was received via NewsIndex http://www.newsindex.com/

For Polio eradication and vaccine related resources see our directory Polio Virus, Vaccine and Eradication

21st November 1999
Polio Eradication: Kenya: Sh105m for vaccination programmes.

In Africa News Online (http://www.africanews.org/) the Sunday Nation Correspondent reports from Nairobi:

The government has set aside Sh105 million to fund immunisation programmes in the country. Public Health Minister Sam Ongeri said yesterday that the money will be used in procurement of vaccines, syringes and needles for routine immunisation.

"The Ministry is renegotiating with the key donors the future support of the Kenya Expanded Programme on Immunisation (Kepi).

The Minister's remarks were contained in a speech read for him by Assistant Minister Gurachi Galgalo during the official launch of the second round of the national polio immunisation programme at Runyenjes Sub-District Hospital in Embu District. The Ministry of Public Health is set to conduct the second round of national polio immunisation on November 27 and 28. This targets over 5.4 million children.

In addition, children aged six to 54 months will receive vitamin A doses. Dr Galgalo disputed claims that the polio vaccine was laced with family planning contraceptives. The Assistant Minister publicly administered a polio jab to his year-old daughter to prove that it was not contaminated.

The complete text of the news report can be found at http://www.africanews.org/east/kenya/stories/19991121_feat7.html

Notification of the above news item was received via NewsIndex http://www.newsindex.com/

For Polio eradication and vaccine related resources see our directory Polio Virus, Vaccine and Eradication

19th November 1999
Obituaries: Lady Macleod Of Borve.

Lady Macleod of Borve, charity worker and Conservative life peer, died on November 17 aged 84. She was born on February 19, 1915.

The London Times (http://www.the-times.co.uk/) November 19 1999 writes of Lady Macleod:

WHEN Iain Macleod died suddenly in July 1970, barely a month after being appointed Chancellor of the Exchequer, his widow was propelled into the political spotlight.

She was no stranger to it by then. Iain Macleod was one of the most considerable figures in Conservative politics of the 1950s and 1960s, and she had been at his side as his star had risen. Clever and adroit, and a superb speaker, he might have proved an outstanding Chancellor. His death was a significant blow to Edward Heath's Government. His widow allowed her name to go forward as a candidate in the resulting by-election at Enfield West. She subsequently withdrew, but entered Parliament a few months later as a Conservative member of the House of Lords.

Bereavement was not the first calamity Eve Macleod had had to endure in public. Shortly after her husband had been appointed Health Minister in 1952, she was crippled with, first, meningitis and, a week later, polio. Although restricted in her walking thereafter, she recovered to hear her husband proclaim the discovery of a suitable vaccine for polio at a Christmas party for sufferers: "The answer to this terrible disease is just around the corner."

She went on to make a notable career on her own account in public life.

The full text of the obituary from which the above is an extract can be found at http://www.the-times.co.uk/
news/pages/tim/99/11/19/timobiobi03002.html?999

17th November 1999
Polio Eradication: DRC: Polio campaign a "major achievement".

In Africa News Online (http://www.africanews.org/) the UN Integrated Regional Information Network (IRIN) reports on the Democratic Republic of Congo in the Great Lakes Update:

Meanwhile, preliminary results from the third round of the national polio immunisation campaign indicate that over 85 percent of the target population was reached, the report said. The last of the country's National Immunisation Days (NIDs), conducted from 22-24 October, sought to immunise children who were not covered during the first two rounds earlier this year. It also included measles vaccination and distribution of vitamin A supplements. The campaign, organised by UNICEF, WHO and their partners, aimed to vaccinate some 10 million children under five years of age as part of global polio eradication efforts. "Although the final cumulative results of the vaccination campaign are still to be analysed, it is already now clear that the NIDs were among the major achievements of the relief community in 1999," the report stated.

This item is delivered by the UN's IRIN humanitarian information unit (e-mail: irin@ocha.unon.org; fax: +254 2 622129; Web: http://www.reliefweb.int/IRIN), but may not necessarily reflect the views of the United Nations. If you re-print, copy, archive or re-post this item, please retain this credit and disclaimer.

The complete text of the news report can be found at http://www.africanews.org/east/stories/19991117_feat1.html

Notification of the above news item was received via NewsIndex http://www.newsindex.com/

For Polio eradication and vaccine related resources see our directory Polio Virus, Vaccine and Eradication

16th November 1999

Polio Eradication: Councillors Told To Back Movement.

In Africa News Online (http://www.africanews.org/) New Vision reports from Kampala, Uganda:

The State Minister for the Elderly and Disability, Florence Naiga Sekabira, has urged the district councillors to vote for the Movement system in the coming referendum because it favours them, reports Richard Enyomu.

The minister was Saturday officiating at the closing of a two-day workshop on capacity building for LC5 councillors representing people with disabilities at Elly's Motel in Seeta, Mukono.

"We are a result of the Movement government and therefore let us not vote for people who failed to give us support in the past," she said.

She said persons with disabilities (PWDS) should come up openly and support her to mobilise votes for the Movement.

"Please support me to mobilise for the votes as you have always done to me we the disabled people are always very organised when it comes to elections," she said.

The minister said the government recognises the significance of PWDs, who constitute 2 million people, in the struggle for equitable and sustainable development.

Naiga said the government was committed to giving PWDs the same opportunities as other Ugandans and an equal share in the improvement of their living conditions.

The workshop, whose objectives were to raise awareness on polio and how it can be eradicated, and identification of strategies for reducing disability, was organised by Uganda National Action on Physical Disability.

The Minister called upon Councillors to lobby and create adequate disability awareness in their local councils, as this is a strong base for social development.

The complete text of the news report can be found at http://www.africanews.org/east/uganda/stories/19991116_feat16.html

For Polio eradication and vaccine related resources see our directory Polio Virus, Vaccine and Eradication

Polio Survivors in the News: Orem's mayor-elect a 'natural leader'.

Frank Curreri, staff writer at Deseret News (http://www.deseretnews.com/) writes:

Like his recent bid for mayor of Orem, Jerry Washburn maintains his life course has been largely devoid of drama and travail.

"There have not been any catastrophic points in our life that we would say, 'This is a low point or a struggle,'" the 56-year-old retired car dealer said of his family during an interview at his home last week.

To be sure, there wasn't the slightest hint of headache or heartache for Washburn this past Nov. 2 when he waltzed to a landslide victory in Orem's mayoral race with nearly 75 percent of the vote. And Washburn loyalists who have chronicled his evolution over several decades say his eventual success in any arena is never an accident.

"Whatever activities he's been involved in, it's only a short time before he's been in a leadership position," said longtime Washburn friend and former Orem mayor DeLance Squire. Polished, well-dressed and typically exuding professionalism, Washburn credits his father -- a car mechanic and subsequent business partner -- with helping to set the tone for his no-nonsense attitude toward business.

"My father had a tremendous work ethic and valued getting the job done and being committed," Washburn said. "He never had a spot of grease on his coveralls and never had grease on his hands, and he was a master mechanic."

Some, like Washburn's wife of 33 years, Betty, see the blue-eyed son as a similar sort to his mechanic father -- a type A personality who takes his work super-seriously and has a quiet but staunch distaste for defeat or failure.

"But I don't think that I am," Washburn said. "I think she sees me as a little more hard-working and perfectionistic than I am. . . . Nobody is all one (personality) or another."

Parental influence may only partially explain Washburn's temperament, demeanor and competitiveness. There was something else driving him: polio. Stricken with the potentially paralyzing and sometimes fatal disease in the pre-vaccination days when polio was an epidemic, the highly contagious infection nearly claimed Washburn's life when he was 2 years old. The disease would leave its mark on Washburn's body and mind.

"It does affect you," Washburn said. "I grew up wanting to be as normal as possible. I must say I think it has given me a determination to succeed. . . . Having that kind of limitation has been very, very valuable. It has taught me patience. I think it gives a sense of compassion for others who struggle for one reason or another, whether it's physical or financial or whatever.

"My mother used to always tell me, 'Sometimes those apparent obstacles become opportunities.' And if you deal with them properly, they become that. . . . I don't want any special privileges based on that. You don't want people to feel sorry for you."

To this day, Washburn still walks with a noticeable limp, his left side partially restricted by his bout with polio. Unable to participate in organized athletics during his school days, Washburn said he turned to music and academics, bred English bulldogs and raised horses.

"That gave me a sense of mobility, a sense of freedom," Washburn said of being seated on a horse. "Being able to ride in the foothills, that was exciting."

Despite polio, Washburn said his parents cut him no slack and instead tried to make their eldest son "tough and self-reliant." Tough, but not rude. This resilient 5-foot-8, 165-pound man, who said he so enjoyed being in the debate club in high school, is nevertheless appalled by how political disagreements are increasingly turning into mean-spirited personal attacks. He says one of his goals as the city's part-time mayor for the next two years will be "to teach people to negotiate without being mad."

The complete text of the news report from which the above is an extract can be found at http://www.deseretnews.com/dn/view/1,1249,130008158,00.html?

Notification of the above news items was received via NewsIndex http://www.newsindex.com/

12th November 1999
Polio Eradication: Ethiopia: US Supports Polio Eradication Program.

In Africa News Online (http://www.africanews.org/) the Addis Tribune reports from Addis Ababa:

U.S. Ambassador Tibor Nagy has announced USD $ 4 million in support for the third Annual Ethiopian National Immunization Days for Polio Eradication (NIDs), the USIS revealed last week. The U.S. financial support for the Ethiopian NIDs this year was provided by the U.S. Agency for International Development in cooperation with other U.S. governmental agencies, and will comprise nearly 66 percent of the total costs of this year's campaign.

At a ceremony held at the Ghion Hotel, Ambassador Nagy announced that the bulk of the U.S contribution would be used to cover the costs of vaccines, program operations, and the strengthening of Ethiopia's National Polio Surveillance System. A portion of the U.S. funds will be used to distribute vitamin A capsules to 10 million children between the ages of 6 and 59 months, and to approximately 846,000 non-pregnant, lactating mothers.

This year's NIDs will be held in two rounds, from November 5 to 7 and later from December 3 to 5. The NIDs are targeted to vaccinate more than 11 million children under the age of 5 and it is estimated that 71,000 health workers and volunteers will participate in the effort at over 23,700 vaccination sites throughout Ethiopia.

Ambassador Nagy congratulated the Ministry of Health for its dedication to eradicating polio in Ethiopia.

The U.S. Ambassador also praised the Ministry of Health for its efforts to vaccinate nearly 2 million more children this year than last year, and for its commitment to bringing this year's vaccination programs to children in some of the most remote and difficult to reach areas of Ethiopian, according to the USIS.

The complete text of the news report can be found at http://www.africanews.org/east/ethiopia/stories/19991112_feat5.html

Notification of the above news item was received via NewsIndex http://www.newsindex.com/

For Polio eradication and vaccine related resources see our directory Polio Virus, Vaccine and Eradication

10th November 1999

Polio Eradication: A World free from polio.

Wasantha Ramanayake of the Sri Lanka Daily News writes:

The world will be free from polio early in the new millennium, if current progress continues and an anti-polio efforts are accelerated, states the "Progress of Nations 1999", a UNICEF published report.

In both 1997 and 1998, 450 million children were immunised annually against polio as part of the enormous effort under way in virtually every country to eradicate the disease by 2000. Since 1988, the number of cases globally has fallen by 86%, a testimony to the success of immunisation programmes and surveillance efforts, led by WHO, UNICEF, Rotary Intentional, US Centre for Disease Control and Prevention and countless groups and individuals around the world.

As a result, only 5,108 cases of Polio were reported in 1998, out of which 1564 were caused by the "Wild Polio Virus", responsible for the transmission of the disease. Only 33 countries reported polio at the end of 1998, which is 14 fewer than in 1997.

In countries with inadequate polio surveillance, the number of reported cases can only be an estimate - the actual number of cases may be higher. In countries such as Indonesia, Myanmar and Thailand, where surveillance is good, the number of cases that physicians suspect could-be polio are registered as such unless actually disproved by a lab test. This ensures that polio cases are not under-reported and the public health system remains aware that the wild polio virus might still exist, the report states.

The complete text of the news report can be found at http://www.lanka.net/lakehouse/1999/11/10/new12.html

Polio Eradication: Kenya Records 83 Percent Immunisation Success.

In Africa News Online (http://www.africanews.org/) the Pan African News Agency (PANA) reports from Nairobi, Kenya:

Nearly one million children in Kenya are reported to have missed the 1999 first round polio immunisation, though 83 percent of the targeted lot was reached during the exercise.

The Kenya Expanded Programme on Immunisation manager, Dr. Stanley Sonoiya, said that Central Province recorded the poorest performance of all the provinces in the exercise conducted between 16-24 October.

He partly attributed the poor performance to a baseless rumour that the vaccine was a sterilisation ploy by government. There was the lack of seriousness by some of the health staff in the region. He said 4,382,755 out of the targeted 5,275,377 children were immunised.

Sonoiya, however, noted that the figure was an improvement compared to 1998 when only 78 percent of the eligible children got immunised.

Statistics released indicated that Nairobi Province recorded the best results at 107.36 percent of the targeted 227,000 children.

It was closely followed by Western Province where 98.5 percent of 672 children were immunised, and Nyanza Province with 94 percent of the 914,002 children immunised.

The others were: Rift-Valley (90.1 percent), Coast (81.4 percent), Eastern (72.1 percent), North Eastern (71 percent) and Central (50.1 percent).

Sonoya said the health ministry was working in conjunction with the WHO, UNICEF and the Japanese government, among other donors, to ensure that Kenya was declared a polio free environment.

The complete text of the news report can be found at http://www.africanews.org/east/kenya/stories/19991110_feat18.html

Polio Eradication: Sudan Winds Up Border Polio Vaccination.

In Africa News Online (http://www.africanews.org/) the Pan African News Agency (PANA) reports from Khartoum, Sudan:

Sudan Tuesday concluded a polio vaccination campaign that covered the country's 10 border states.

The campaign has targeted 750,000 children below five years. The health ministry's director of immunisation Dr. Hamza Omar Hamza, said "the campaign was 100 percent successful in many of the border states."

The campaign coincided with similar ones in Egypt, Chad, the Central African Republic, Ethiopia and Eritrea.

Hamza said the campaign was meant to eliminate the polio virus in border areas and draw a polio-safe belt around each of those countries.

"This is also in keeping with the ultimate goal of eliminating the disease by the end of 2000 as planned by the WHO," he told PANA.

The official appreciated the work of the WHO and UNICEF "which provided 250,000 US dollars in vaccines and vehicles."

The complete text of the news report can be found at http://www.africanews.org/east/sudan/stories/19991110_feat1.html

Notification of the above news items was received via NewsIndex http://www.newsindex.com/

For Polio eradication and vaccine related resources see our directory Polio Virus, Vaccine and Eradication

6th November 1999
Polio Eradication: Guinea-Bissau: First round of polio vaccination campaign.

In Africa News Online (http://www.africanews.org/) the UN Integrated Regional Information Network (IRIN) reports in the IRIN-WA Weekly Round-up:

Polio vaccination days were held in all regions of Guinea-Bissau on 30 and 31 October by the Health Ministry with support from WHO, UNICEF, Rotary International and the Center for Disease Control in Atlanta (USA), OCHA reported.

A second round of polio immunisation, in conjunction with measles vaccinations, is scheduled for December. An estimated 205,000 children under the age of four years are to be vaccinated nationwide.

This item is delivered by the UN's IRIN humanitarian information unit (e-mail: irin@ocha.unon.org; fax: +254 2 622129; Web: http://www.reliefweb.int/IRIN), but may not necessarily reflect the views of the United Nations. If you re-print, copy, archive or re-post this item, please retain this credit and disclaimer.

The complete text of the news report can be found at http://www.africanews.org/west/stories/19991106_feat2.html

Notification of the above news item was received via NewsIndex http://www.newsindex.com/

For Polio eradication and vaccine related resources see our directory Polio Virus, Vaccine and Eradication

2nd November 1999
Polio Eradication: Liberian Daily News Bulletin.

In Africa News Online (http://www.africanews.org/) Star Radio (Monrovia) reports:

A one day workshop to develop anti-polio messages has ended at the National Cultural center in Kendeja. The workshop orientated media workers on new strategies for National Immunization days (NIDs) in the year 2000. The social Mobilization Committee Chair-person for NIDs said participants discussed new skills for anti-polio campaign messages. Cultural Ambassador Julie Endee said advocacy, social mobilization and communication were effective methods. Participants included Health reporters and vernacular producers. The workshop was sponsored by UNICEF with technical assistance from the WHO. Polio vaccines will be administered for two days each in January, February and March next year.

Star Radio is staffed by Liberian journalists and managed by the Swiss NGO Fondation Hirondelle (http://www.hirondelle.org/) with financing from the U.S. Agency for International Development through the International Foundation for Election Systems.

STAR radio, Sekou Toure Avenue, Mamba point, Monrovia, Liberia. Tel: (+231) 226820 Fax:(+231) 227360; E-mail:star@liberia.net. Fondation Hirondelle 3, rue Traversiere 1018 Lausanne, Suisse Tel: (+4121) 647 2805 Fax: (+41 21) 647 4469; E-mail: info@hirondelle.org.

The complete text of the news report can be found at http://www.africanews.org/west/liberia/stories/19991102_feat3.html

Notification of the above news item was received via NewsIndex http://www.newsindex.com/

For Polio eradication and vaccine related resources see our directory Polio Virus, Vaccine and Eradication