POLIO VACCINATION CAMPAIGN LAUNCHED IN LEBANON

More than 320,000 young children in Lebanon will receive the first round of polio vaccinations in a UN-backed immunization campaign started following the severe disruption of routine health services caused by the conflict between Israel and Hezbollah.

Approximately 2,000 volunteers are going door-to-door to all homes and public health centers to ensure that all children under 5 are immunized against this devastating disease. The second round of vaccinations will take place in December.

The UN has provided 1 million doses of the orally administered polio vaccine, as well as cold-chain equipment, including 1,000 temperature-controlled vaccine carriers, to preserve the vaccine as it is stored and transported. This is enough to supply both rounds of the campaign.

Although Lebanon was declared polio-free in 2002, and Lebanese children are normally vaccinated through primary-care services, these were disrupted by the summer's conflict.