February 19, 2003
 Japan's Assistance for Eradicating Polio in Nepal
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The National Immunization Day (NID) for the anti-polio campaign that aims at eradicating polio from Nepal by 2005, has been regularly organized throughout the country. It has been 90% successful; not a single case of polio has been found in the past two years. The Government of Japan has been supporting the NID program in Nepal since 1997. This year, 2.9 million doses of oral polio vaccines worth US$ 273,090 were provided by the Government of Japan; nearly half of the total requirement for the NID program in Nepal.
The Government of Japan has been extending assistance to Nepal for the program through UNICEF in coordination with other international agencies including USAID, WHO and Rotary International.
This year more than 4.1 million children under the age of five were administered polio drops throughout the country on completion of the 7th round of the nationwide anti-polio campaign which was held in two phases: the first on January 4 and the second on February 8.
Addressing the launching ceremony of the 7th NID 2002/2003 held on January 3, Mr. Kazumi Suzuki Charge d' Affairs a.i. of Japan praised the success Nepal has gained in polio eradication. Furthermore, he expressed his hope that the concerned authorities of the Nepalese government, medical professionals, social workers, national and international organizations and others would continue in their tireless efforts to save the lives of the children of Nepal. Extending his heartfelt thanks to all those at home and abroad who have extended their cooperation in the task of polio eradication, Health Minister Dr. Upendra Devkota said that Nepal still faces the challenges of polio eradication. He added that the polio vaccinations would continue until the county is declared polio free by WHO.
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