Widespread polio vaccination on in Central Africa

Brazzaville, Republic of Congo (AP):

International aid groups said yesterday they're launching a mass polio immunisation campaign in three Central African nations in response to a polio outbreak suspected in more than 100 deaths and deemed "unusual" because it targets adults more than children.

The World Health Organization, UNICEF and Rotary International said they will begin vaccinating some three million people, today, in the Republic of Congo, its larger neighbour Congo and nearby Angola. The outbreak of the highly infectious disease was confirmed on November 4 in the Republic of Congo. The emergency immunisations will begin in the coastal port city of Pointe Noire in Republic of Congo and will continue through the end of the year.

The agencies in a statement yesterday disclosed that they had counted 97 deaths out of 226 cases of acute paralysis that are suspected to be polio cases. They noted that of those, four have been confirmed as polio.