The biggest polio eradication campaign ever launched in Africa kicked off simultaneously in 23 Sub-Saharan countries Friday, with the goal of immunising 80 million children under five over the next four days, organisers said.
"We got the support of religious chiefs and we launched an awareness campaign for the people. This is why we believe we can eradicate the polio virus in Africa," said Rima Salah, regional head of UNICEF (United Nations Children's Fund) for central and west Africa.
"We are determined and we want to reach every child in each home even where conflicts are still raging," she added.
UNICEF and the World Health Organisation are among organisers of the campaign, which fields nearly one million health workers, religious and traditional chiefs, teachers and volunteers.
They will criss-cross the continent over the next four days to transport more than 100 million doses in refrigerated containers and give each child two drops of vaccine.
Salah said all means available would be used to reach people in war-torn or remote areas.
"We will use helicopters in Liberia and Sierra Leone, camels in Mauritania and boats in coastal countries," she added.
Of the 786 polio cases recorded by Wednesday in the world, 597 were in Nigeria and in Niger.
Last year, the northern Nigerian city of Kano became the epicentre of the world's fastest growing outbreak of the crippling disease.
Nigeria accounts for more than 80 percent of officially registered polio cases in the world, most of which are clustered in west Africa.
Organisers said another anti-polio campaign will be launched November 18-22 in all the countries concerned.
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