By Nangamso Mabindla
15 June 2004

BUFFALO City and the Eastern Cape Department of Health have launched a programme aimed at eliminating polio and measles in the province.

Although the last recorded case of polio was in 1989, South Africa was not internationally recognised as a polio-free country, according to Buffalo City's general manager for health, Dr Mkhululi Nkohla. "The reason for this is because we have not initiated massive campaigns against polio. We need to do this in order to have 100 percent coverage of the virus."

For this reason it was imperative that the immunisation programme continue and expand, Nkohla said at the official launch of an extended programme in East London on Tuesday, 15 June.

According to Nkohla, a 1989 World Health Organisation report stipulated that polio needed to be eradicated by the year 2000. "Unfortunately it's the year 2004 and we are still fighting this illness."

Nkohla said there were a recorded 236 cases of polio in the world: 170 in Nigeria, 17 in Niger, 13 in Pakistan, 10 in India, two in Afghanistan and one in Egypt. "The reason Nigeria experienced an increase in the number of cases is because they stopped the immunising campaign in September last year."

"For the campaign to be a resounding success, we need people to bring their children to receive the oral polio vaccine," he emphasised.

Newborn babies were the targets of the countrywide campaigns, and South Africa had identified 2005 as the year by which eradication of both polio and measles should be achieved. "In 2002 we only had four cases of measles and in 2001 we had seven. Next year we want to eliminate measles."

Gloria Ngcukana from the provincial department of health said she was happy that local and provincial government were working together. "This is a joint campaign. We couldn't have done this on our own," she said. "This partnership will not fail. We want to immunise children from birth - we don't want these diseases in our communities," said Ngcukana.

During the first round of immunisation on 26 July, 40 000 children - of a total of 886 000 children in the province - will be immunised in Buffalo City. The second round will be from 30 August to 3 September, gradually moving to the rest of the province.

The process will be held in community halls, schools and other community facilities around the province.