UNICEF: Reaching remotest Niger with polio vaccine

GARBEY KOUROU, Niger, 6 March 2009 On the eve of an eight-country polio vaccination campaign held over the past week in West Africa, Ali Boureima, the immunization coordinator for Tillabery health district in Niger, distributed the last batch of oral polio vaccines for nine villages situated on islands in the Niger River.


The recent immunization drive held here and throughout the region was part of the Global Polio Eradication Initiative, a partnership spearheaded by the World Health Organization, Rotary International, the US Centers for Diseases Control and Prevention, and UNICEF.

A total of 226 vaccination teams conducted the campaign in Tillabery district, going from house to house to distribute the life-saving drops.

More then 66,000 children aged five and younger were targeted for this first round of vaccination in Tillabery district, out of a total of 4.2 million across Niger. An estimated 53 million children are being immunized in the course of the synchronized regional campaign, which concludes with a second round of immunization during the last week of March.

To read the full story, visit http://www.unicef.org/infobycountry/niger_48497.html

Category:

Nonprofits & Activism

Tags:

• UNICEF
• Niger
• Tillabery
• polio
• vaccine
• WHO
• Rotary
• Africa

[brightbite]

Awesome. I think. There is debate over vaccines and how healthful it really is, but overall, I think this is pretty good. Too bad we can't shoot them up with some vitamins. Food is scarce over there.

[gadionson1]

bang

[CetraTJ]

In 2004, it was reported that some polio vaccines in Nigeria were toxic and contaminated. In 1995, the Catholic Women's League of the Philippines won a court order halting a UNICEF anti-tetanus program because the vaccine had been laced with B-hCG. Both were from UNICEF. You are immunizing 53 million Children, what kind of safeguards have you put in place to prevent toxic vaccines?

[n1ck3lback111]

very good!