9 million children to be vaccinated against polio in Africa

Associated Press

CAPE TOWN, South Africa (AP) — A drive to vaccinate more than 9 million children against polio has been launched this week in four countries in southern and eastern Africa after an outbreak was confirmed in Malawi. The vaccination drive, led by governments with the support of UNICEF and partners, started in Malawi and will be followed on Thursday in the neighboring countries of Mozambique, Tanzania and Zambia. Three more rounds of vaccinations will follow in the coming months with a goal of reaching more than 20 million children. UNICEF, the World Health Organization and the Global Polio Eradication Initiative are supporting the urgent vaccination drive after it was confirmed in February that a three-year-old girl was paralyzed by wild poliovirus in Malawi.