At least nine million Sudanese children have been protected against Polio after the crippling virus re-emerged in the country two years ago.
The massive vaccine programme has been run by the Ministry of Health of both the government of national unity and of Southern Sudan, with the collaboration of UNICEF and World Health Organization (WHO).Setena Ahmed Sayed, WHO communications officer, said similar programmes are being conducted in all Sudan’s neighbours because the polio virus does not have a passport and travels across the borders, IRIN reported.
UNICEF representative in Sudan, Nils Kastberg, said the main obstacle to the full eradication of polio in the country is the inability to reach all children under five in the remote areas of Southern Sudan.
UNICEF said the disease had been eradicated in Sudan until 27 cases were discovered in an outbreak in 2008. Last year, 45 cases were registered, 40 in Southern Sudan.