Presidents against polio

Top-level leadership at launches of vaccination campaigns

President of Chad, Idriss Deby Itno, wears the yellow hat of a Rotary vaccinator as he gives vaccine to a child WHO/Chad

The President of Chad started the day by announcing, “I am personally declaring war on polio.” The President of Mali launched campaigns in his country, calling on his peers to help make Africa polio-free. The First Lady of Ghana encouraged her fellow citizens to vaccinate their children. In many west and central African countries, the highest levels of leadership were visible and voluble in supporting vaccination and in exhorting national and sub-national administrators to ensure all children were reached.

President Idriss Deby Itno of Chad was joined by American actress Mia Farrow, a UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador who was in the country for several days to highlight the challenges to eradicating polio there. Chad has re-established transmission of an imported wild poliovirus of Nigerian origin.

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