Polio, which can paralyze small children, has become the latest threat to refugees already struggling with famine and disease in the camps of Darfur.
Sudan is one of 12 countries that had been polio-free for at least two years but is now again seeing cases of paralysis as a result of a major outbreak in northern Nigeria.
PHOTO: EPA
There have been 453 cases of polio in Kano, Nigeria, because controversy over the polio vaccine in the Muslim province led to cessation of immunization.
Although immunization in Kano started again two weeks ago, major efforts will be needed across much of Africa to contain the outbreak.
One case was identified in Darfur earlier in the year. On Tuesday it was confirmed there have been three more, all caused by the Nigerian polio strain.
Mali and Guinea also have had polio cases, it was revealed yesterday, taking the total from ten in June to 12 now.
African Union health ministers have agreed on a campaign to reach 74 million children under five years old, but it will be able to go ahead only if more money is forthcoming from donors.
Six countries have never been polio-free. There have been 453 cases in Nigeria this year, 33 in India, 21 in Pakistan, 19 in Niger, three in Afghanistan, and one in Egypt.
Four contenders are squaring up to succeed Antonio Guterres as secretary-general of the UN, which faces unprecedented global instability, wars and its own crushing budget crisis. Chile’s Michelle Bachelet, Argentina’s Rafael Grossi, Costa Rica’s Rebeca Grynspan and Senegal’s Macky Sall are each to face grillings by 193 member states and non-governmental organizations for three hours today and tomorrow. It is only the second time the UN has held a public question-and-answer, a format created in 2016 to boost transparency. Ultimately the five permanent members of the UN’s top body, the Security Council, hold the power, wielding vetoes over who leads the
A humanoid robot that won a half-marathon race for robots in Beijing on Sunday ran faster than the human world record in a show of China’s technological leaps. The winner from Honor, a Chinese smartphone maker, completed the 21km race in 50 minutes and 26 seconds, said a WeChat post by the Beijing Economic-Technological Development Area, also known as Beijing E-Town, where the race began. That was faster than the human world record holder, Ugandan Jacob Kiplimo, who finished the same distance in about 57 minutes in March at the Lisbon road race. The performance by the robot marked a significant step forward
An earthquake registering a preliminary magnitude of 7.7 off northern Japan on Monday prompted a short-lived tsunami alert and the advisory of a higher risk of a possible mega-quake for coastal areas there. The Cabinet Office and the Japan Meteorological Agency said there was a 1% chance for a mega-quake, compared to a 0.1% chance during normal times, in the next week or so following the powerful quake near the Chishima and Japan trenches. Officials said the advisory was not a quake prediction but urged residents in 182 towns along the northeastern coasts to raise their preparedness while continuing their daily lives. Prime
HAZARDOUS CONDITION: The typhoon’s sheer size, with winds extending 443km from its center, slowed down the ability of responders to help communities, an official said The US Coast Guard was searching for six people after losing contact with their disabled boat off the coast of Guam following Typhoon Sinlaku. The crew of the 44m dry cargo vessel, the US-registered Mariana, on Wednesday notified the coast guard that the boat had lost its starboard engine and needed assistance, Petty Officer 3rd Class Avery Tibbets said yesterday. The coast guard set up a one-hour communication schedule with the vessel, but lost contact on Thursday. A Coast Guard HC-130 Hercules aircraft was launched to search for the six people on board, but it had to return to Guam because of
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