DAKAR, Nov 18 (AFP) - The global campaign to eradicate polio kicked off its second phase in west Africa on Thursday amid unrest in Ivory Coast that could impede efforts to vaccinate 80 million children in sub-Saharan Africa under age five.
"The upsurge in violence in the country and the resultant increase in cross-border movements as the population seeks safe havens could carry the virus into countries neighboring Ivory Coast," the UN Children's Fund UNICEF said in a statement.
"Despite the situation in Ivory Coast, African governments are hopeful that these immunization drives, the largest ever internationally coordinated activity in peacetime, will bring polion back under control in the region."
Foreign staff who were due to oversee the vaccinations in the west African country have been evacuated to neighboring Ghana because of the recent surge in anti-foreigner violence and the civil war in Ivory Coast.
Ivory Coast has reported 15 cases of polio this year against one case in 2003, which UNICEF said was due to the importation of a virus in January originating in Nigeria.
A first phase of the campaign was carried out across the region in October by teams of vaccinators who managed to reach some 90 percent of the children in the participating countries with the oral vaccine.
Despite the problems in Ivory Coast, UNICEF said there has been a decrease of reported polio cases across the region. There have been no reported cases in Burkina Faso since April and none in Benin since June.
The vaccination campaign, coordinated in conjunction with the World Health Organization, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Rotary Club, also faces a funding shortage of some 200 million dollars, UNICEF said.
11/18/2004 16:13 GMT - AFP