POLIO NEWS
August, 2012 Edition
Angola passes a year without polio // 2 Aminu Ahmed, polio hero // 3 Citizens of the world – get behind polio eradication // 4 Spotlight on: Nigeria // 5 Technical toolbox: routine immunization
If you happen to be in New York City, USA, show your support for polio eradication on 29 September at the Global Festival in Central Park.
The event will come days after a high-level call to action convened by UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon during the UN General Assembly – to continue the emergency momentum in polio eradication and help catalyze a shared sense of responsibility among the global community to finish the job.
Angola passes a year without polio
The country had originally been declared polio-free in 2001, but had been reinfected repeatedly by poliovirus of Indian origin since 2005. Angola was classified as having "re-established transmission", and therefore must remain free of polio for a period of three years before it is considered officially polio-free once more, but passing a year without a single case is a tremendous achievement and a testament to the dedication of the Angolan people. While Angola must continue to vaccinate children and improve surveillance, the risk of virus importation has declined substantially since India has stopped polio transmission.
Watch UNICEF’s video to see just what’s involved in fighting polio in Angola
Aminu Ahmed, polio hero
When some people are affected by the long-term consequences of illness, they let it take over their life. Aminu Ahmad let polio take over his life in the most positive way possible - he became an advocate for polio eradication.
This hard-working Nigerian man is chairman of the Kano Polio Victims Association, head of a workshop providing employment to young people affected by polio and a keen advocate for vaccination. Read more of his story here. 2/2
Citizens of the world – get behind polio eradication
Want to get your friends, family and colleagues as passionate about polio eradication as you are? Click one of our brand new web sites to help people join the fight to end polio.
Global Citizen is an innovative web-based platform allowing ordinary people to take action anywhere, anytime, to tackle the issues – including polio – that prevent the world’s poorest from breaking free of the cycle of poverty.
End Polio Now is a virtual home where people can rally together to finish the fight against polio.
Spotlight on: Nigeria
Operational issues and insecurity make the northern states of Nigeria a challenging place to fight polio. And in a country that’s never stopped transmission of the disease, maintaining the same level of dedication, round after round, can be difficult.
After the impressive progress of 2010, when the country saw a 95% reduction in cases of wild poliovirus, case numbers have begun to creep up once more – with more cases (70) reported so far in 2012 than were reported for the entire year last year (62).
Fresh ideas, along with assistance from India’s successful polio eradication programme, are being implemented in Nigeria to try to turn the situation around once more.
Read about what’s being done to reach the last children in the polio sanctuaries of Zamfara and Sokoto..
Technical toolbox: routine immunization
A programme through which all children are given a standard set of vaccines is known as ‘routine immunization’. The polio eradication programme is helping to supplement and strengthen routine immunization in two ways:1) by ensuring that children who cannot access routine healthcare do not miss out on vital vaccines, and 2) by gathering information on where children are missing out, guiding the expansion of routine health services.
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