The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and UNICEF announce a visit by Mr. Anthony Lake, UNICEF Executive Director, and Dr. Tachi Yamada, president of the Global Health Program of the Gates Foundation to boost the Government of Angola’s efforts to stop transmission of polio in the country by increasing vital immunization coverage. The organizations noted that Angola “has faced several challenges following the aftermath of the war, including massive rural migration to the urban areas which strained health and sanitation services and harbored conditions for the spread of polio.

In 2010, 32 people contracted polio in Angola, a disappointing turnaround from 2004, when Angola celebrated three consecutive years free from the virus and the country stood ready to be declared polio-free.  But by May of 2005, the disease returned and quickly spread to Namibia (2006), DR Congo (2006, 2008 and 2010), and the Republic of Congo (2010). This sequence of events shows that children remain at risk everywhere as long as polio transmission is not interrupted globally.” Mr. Lake and Dr. Yamada “will meet with senior government officials and partners in the fight against polio to urge an increased commitment of all levels of society. They will also discuss how to support national, provincial and municipal efforts in Angola to interrupt transmission.  As part of the mission, they will visit families, volunteers and health services in peri-urban areas of Luanda, visiting the frontline in the fight against the virus and observing what action communities are taking.”

http://www.gatesfoundation.org/press-releases/Pages/eradicating-polio-in-angola-110121.aspx