News Archives

21 September

Traditionally marked as International Peace Day, 21st September is an occasion in Afghanistan to mark the desire for peace through activities nationwide. After a call for safe passage so that polio vaccinators could reach children in conflict-affected parts of Afghanistan, Sunday saw the launch of vaccination campaigns in the southern and eastern provinces of the country. This came a week after doctors working on polio eradication were killed by a suicide bomber.

A baby is vaccinated during Peace Day in Nangarhar province of Afghanistan, held in the arms of WHO Representative Peter Graaff and UNICEF Representative Catherine Mbengue.

Last week, President Hamid Karzai issued a statement that government forces should refrain from attack on Peace Day, and anti-government elements were quoted in the media as supportive of Peace Day. Following these statements, 14 000 vaccinators have fanned out across the polio-affected provinces of Nangarhar, Kunar, Lagman, Kandahar, Uruzgan, Helmand and Farah to vaccinate 1.8 million children. Although the suicide bombing on 14 September threatened to derail these campaigns, the national team leading the polio eradication effort in Afghanistan felt that going forward was the best way to remember their fallen colleagues.

18 September

UN agencies call for peace as polio vaccination campaigns continue in Afghanistan on International Peace Day

KABUL - As the International Day of Peace, 21 September, approaches the World Health Organisation (WHO), the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) and the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) are calling on all parties to the conflict to take a pause on the International Day of Peace to allow safe access for vaccinators to carry out polio immunization - a life saving activity. The sanctity of schools must be respected, the lives of students and teachers must be protected, and the schools must not be used by any parties to the conflict for operations or political reasons.

Polio and lack of access to education affect every family in Afghanistan. WHO and UNICEF are urging the actors involved in the conflict not to harm the vaccinators and allow the peace polio immunizations to take place from 21-23 September in order to vaccinate 1.8 million newborns and children under the age of five. More (pdf)

The vaccination campaigns are due to start a week after a suicide bombing killed three people in a UN convoy (click here) in Kandahar as they were preparing the campaigns.

14 September

Polio workers killed in the line of duty
Attack in southern Afghanistan a reminder of the dangers faced by public health workers

Two doctors on WHO duty and their driver were assassinated today by a vehicle-borne suicide bomber in Kandahar province of southern Afghanistan. Dr Shamsul Haq MH Kakar, Dr Mamoon Taher Taheri, along with their driver Azizullah Almas from the UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan, were on their way to prepare logistics for a polio vaccination campaign in the region next week when their convoy was attacked. This tragic incident, along with an armed attack in Somalia this summer which seriously wounded two polio workers, are stark reminders of the risks faced by those working for public health in many parts of the world. 

Throughout the 20 years of the Global Polio Eradication Initiative, vaccinators and other polio staff have faced the risk of murder, assault, kidnapping and natural disasters on all continents, despite UN security measures. The vast majority of these workers are volunteers; nearly all - staff and volunteers - live and work in remote or disadvantaged areas, to ensure that every child has access to vaccination. 

The United Nations Secretary-General has condemned this recent attack in the strongest possible terms. In tribute to the victims, the polio vaccination campaigns which they were planning were not cancelled.

The Polio Eradication Heroes Fund recognizes health workers and volunteers who have incurred serious injury or lost their lives as a direct consequence of their participation in polio eradication activities. The families of the workers receive a certificate recognizing the victim’s heroic commitment to polio eradication and a cash tribute. Those wishing to give may do so online or by contacting the Polio Eradication Heroes Fund at the CDC Foundation, 50 Hurt Plaza – Suite 765, Atlanta, GA 30303, USA.

In 2008, 1210 children worldwide (and 16 in Afghanistan) have been paralyzed by polio, which can be prevented by an oral vaccine and is the target of a global eradication effort led by national governments. Nearly half the Afghan children who contracted polio this year are from Kandahar province itself. In southern Afghanistan, uncertain and unstable security conditions have made it increasingly dangerous for medical workers and volunteers to move about vaccinating children during the large-scale immunization campaigns which underpin the effort to eradicate polio. While nation-wide campaigns aim to cover over 7 million children under the age of 5 years with vaccine, polio remains mostly concentrated in this conflict-riven region, with a target population of around 1.2 million.

04 September

Canada announces $30 million for polio eradication

The Government of Canada today announced financial contributions of Canadian $30 million towards the eradication of polio in sub-Saharan Africa, in partnership with Rotary International. This announcement comes on the heels of a June pledge of $60 million to finance polio eradication activities in Afghanistan.

The funding will help immunize children in sub-Saharan Africa, with $15 million already earmarked for Nigeria, where polio is still endemic. An outbreak in northern Nigeria is currently putting the region at risk; stepped-up vaccination activities are essential to preventing and minimizing the consequences of spread.

With these two latest contributions, Canada has committed close to Canadian $331 million towards polio eradication and is working to support new immunization strategies in polio-endemic countries to finally stop the disease entirely. More

 News Archives