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European flight ban delays West African polio vaccination

21 Apr 2010

Fifteen million doses of a polio vaccine needed for a vaccination campaign in West Africa are stuck in German and French airports as a result of the flight disruption across Europe caused by volcanic ash.

Martin Dawes, the regional chief of communications for the UN Children's Fund (UNICEF) in West and Central Africa, said on Tuesday that the hold-up means the vaccination campaign will have to be postponed in Burkina Faso, Sierra Leone and Togo for a couple of weeks.

The second phase of campaign, which is due to start on Saturday, aims to immunise 85 million children under five years old in 19 countries in West and Central Africa. He added there are concerns that unsynchronised immunisations could allow the crippling virus to spread within the region.

Source: Panos London

Panos London promotes the participation of poor and marginalised people in national and international development debates through media and communication projects. It is part of the worldwide Panos Network of independent institutes working to ensure that information is used more effectively to foster debate, pluralism and democracy.

Go to: http://www.panos.org.uk