Of the world's 401 declared cases of polio this year, 114 were in Chad, making it the worst-hit nation
N’DJAMENA (AlertNet) – A three-day nationwide polio vaccination campaign kicked off in Chad on Friday as part of efforts to rid the central African nation of the infectious disease.
The World Health Organisation (WHO) says that, of the 401 declared cases of polio around the globe this year, 114 were in Chad, making it the world's worst-hit nation.
“Chad can eradicate polio,” said Bill Gates, co-president of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, who attended the launch of the campaign at the Friendship China-Chad hospital, alongside Chad’s President Idris Deby.
“But to eradicate polio, health authorities must step up their efforts to ensure that all children in Chad are protected (immunised) from polio today and for always,” said Gates, whose foundation has been supporting programmes to eradicate the highly infectious disease, which can cause total paralysis in a matter of hours.
Global and national efforts have reduced the worldwide incidence of polio by 99 percent since 1988. It is caused by a virus that invades the nervous system.
Chad did not report any cases of polio between June 2000 and July 2003, and was presumed to have eradicated polio from its territory. However, since 2003, it has experienced a resurgence of the epidemic.
Immunisation and social mobilisation by the government and its partners have not managed to interrupt polio transmission.
Experts say poverty, poor health education and lack of access to healthcare have caused flaws in the process of routine immunisation that should normally protect children and prevent vast, cross-border outbreaks of diseases.
“A bad rumour made people believe that if we vaccinated our children, they would become sterile and unable to procreate, which is false,” said President Deby at the launch, to which his ministers brought their children for immunisation.
“As political, local government and religious authorities, it is our duty to sensitise people to the importance of vaccination,” he said.
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