SUDAN LAUNCHES POLIO ERADICATION PLAN

The Sudanese Ministry of Health plans to launch a national campaign against polio, which will specifically target 6 million children in the country.

Announcing the program's launch, Al Tayeb Ahmed Al Sayed, general manager of the extended inoculation program at the ministry, stated that the government would strive to fully eradicate the disease in children under 5 years old, bolstered by assistance from the World Health Organization and UNICEF. A central part of the campaign, he added, would be focused on urging families to inoculate their children against the disease.

After decreasing in virulence over the past several years, polio has again become a widespread problem in the country's poorer regions -- particularly Darfur and the southern states.