CHAD: New polio cases threaten country, region and beyond

N'DJAMENA Tuesday, November 25, 2008 (IRIN) - The Chadian Health Ministry and the UN have launched a polio vaccination drive targeting half a million children in the west of the country, as new cases of the crippling and sometimes fatal disease continue to emerge. Despite previous vaccination campaigns, Chad has seen 27 cases of polio so far in 2008 -- including polio type 1, the most dangerous of the remaining serotypes -- up from 22 cases in 2007. The resurgence is due in part to poor...