Côte d'Ivoire,
23 April 1999

Opening Ceremony of "Launching the National Immunization Day"

I feel privileged to take part in this campaign - one of the highlights for me since taking office at the World Health Organization. I would like to thank President Bedie for inviting me to be here with you today for this truly historic event, and I would like to pay tribute to His Excellency for his personal commitment to the health of his people.

Our children are our future and we can only build a future upon healthy children. Polio has been one of the biggest preventable causes of disability around the world. To eradicate it will be one of the best investments that we can make in our children and indeed in our future.

Over the next few days, 3.2 million children in Côte d'Ivoire will receive this powerful vaccine. Just a few drops will guarantee them lifelong protection against a disease which can cause paralysis in a matter of hours, often leaving children unable to walk and run about.

But even more important is the extraordinary display of cooperation and human fortitude that is needed for these immunization campaigns to work. It is truly inspiring.

Here in Côte d'Ivoire, thousands of health workers, volunteers, men, women and children in the community will ensure that the vaccine is delivered. This cooperation will be part of the legacy of polio eradication. And an effective immunization programme will also be the basis for successfully tackling other vaccine preventable diseases.

Health is not the sole responsibility of the President, the government or the Ministry of Health. It is through the efforts of individuals - from heads of state to volunteers in the community - that we have overcome some of the greatest hurdles in polio eradication and are now on track to kick polio out of Africa. This same cooperation between all sectors of society will help us kick so many other problems out of Africa - from malaria to HIV to tobacco.

Polio remains in Côte d'Ivoire and its bordering countries. Last year, 37 cases of polio were reported in this country, but this was only the tip of the iceberg. Polio transmission is largely silent. Literally thousands of your children could be infected with the virus. Any one of them could become paralysed by the disease.

Some cases of wild virus were found last year after the National Immunization Days had been conducted. This means we are missing some children in some villages; some children in some slums; some children in some remote areas of this country.

Polio eradication is about ensuring that all children of Côte d'Ivoire - your future - receive immunization and key nutrients like vitamin A.

That is why the Ministry of Health, WHO and UNICEF have taken the decision to accelerate polio eradication activities in the next two years. We need to conduct full National Immunization Days and targeted door-to-door delivery of vaccines in 1999 and 2000 to stop polio once and for all.

We need to find and investigate every paralysed child to know exactly where the problems are. We need to train and sensitize every clinician and health worker to report any cases of paralysis they find so that these are investigated to rule out polio. If a child in Côte d'Ivoire is paralysed, we need every parent to bring that child to be properly investigated.

We are here to support the people of Côte d'Ivoire. Many international organizations and donors have joined with the government of Côte d'Ivoire to support its efforts. And we will continue to work with you until the future for the children of this wonderful country is indeed brighter.

Today we look to Côte d'Ivoire to lead the eradication initiative in this corner of the world. It will set a gold standard for surrounding countries. Success here will mean success for the whole region.

We are now on the 'home stretch' of the global eradication initiative. In just ten years since the World Health Assembly passed the resolution to eradicate polio, the number of cases worldwide has fallen by almost 90 percent to 5,000. The Americas have been declared polio-free, polio is gone from Europe and China, and large parts of Africa.

The activities in the days that follow bring us one step closer to a polio-free world - a gift from the 20^th to the 21^st century. I wish you all a successful campaign and thank you all for your extraordinary efforts.