Final mile looms in effort to rid world of the scourge of polio
1 March 2002

The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies today announced a mobilisation of its volunteer network to help vaccinate nearly six million children in some of the world's least developed nations where reservoirs of the polio virus still exist.

The International Federation has launched an appeal for $679,000 to enable Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies in the Democratic Republic of Congo, the Republic of Congo, Ethiopia, Nigeria and Pakistan to participate in social mobilisation and vaccination campaigns as well as monitoring and surveillance actions. The campaign is in partnership with Ministries of Health and an international coalition led by the World Health Organisation.

"It's like entering the final mile of a marathon. We need to make a supreme last effort before we can say we have a polio-free world", says Dr. Bernard Morinière, a public health expert at the International Federation. Since the Global Poliomyelitis Eradication Initiative was launched in 1988, the number of recorded cases dropped by more than 99% from 350,000 to 520 last year.

"Access to the children, so far out of reach because of insecurity related to conflict, isolation or lack of infrastructure is a crucial issue where our volunteers can make a difference," says Morinière. "We must succeed completely if we want to eliminate the possibility of the virus reviving in other parts of the world."

In Ethiopia, a virus reservoir country, the Red Cross will continue to be involved in a door-to-door vaccination campaign to reach 500,000 children under the age of five; during the past years this labour-intensive practice was vital in the vaccination of nearly 14 million children. A similar approach will be used by Red Cross volunteers in Nigeria to help vaccinate two million children. In Pakistan 200,000 children will be targeted.

In the Democratic Republic of Congo and the Republic of Congo, the Red Cross can mobilise up to 85,000 volunteers to reach the 3.2 million children targeted by health authorities. The organisation's VHF radio network will be used for surveillance activities especially in isolated areas.

Polio is a highly infectious disease caused by a virus that mainly affects children under three years of age. One in 200 infections leads to irreversible paralysis, usually in the legs.

For further information, or to set up interviews, please contact:

Andrei Neacsu, Information Officer Tel.: + 41 22 730 4296/ + 41 79 416 3881

The Geneva-based International Federation promotes the humanitarian activities of 181 National Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies among vulnerable people. By coordinating international disaster relief and encouraging development support, it seeks to prevent and alleviate human suffering. The Federation, National Societies and the International Committee of the Red Cross together, constitute the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement.