Chinese Ambassador Lin Songtian on Thursday in Monrovia immunized six babies between one and seven months old against the crippling polio disease to kick off the fourth and final round of the 2005 polio eradication campaign in Liberia.

About one million children under five years in the war-ravaged west African state have been targeted for the vaccination.

The final round of the door-to-door immunization exercise until December 13 is part of a sustained global effort, which began in the country seven years ago.

Three rounds of the polio vaccine were conducted from February to November this year, bringing to a total of 40 rounds of the exercise since the launch of the polio eradication campaign.

Liberia's Health Minister Peter Coleman described the campaign in the country as a success story. "Today, we can boast to the world that we have fought a very good fight and that Liberia is on the way of being a polio-freed country."

"For the last three years, Liberia has not registered any case of polio," he said. "We have succeeded in stopping the transmission of the polio virus."

According to Coleman, seven years ago, less than 23 percent of children were immunized against childhood diseases. But today, 61 percent of all children under five years old are immunized against all childhood diseases.

Representatives of international partners from the World Health Organization and the United Nations Children's Fund have acknowledged that Liberia is closed to eradicating polio and urged parents to take advantage of the campaign to save their children from the crippling disease.

The exercise is expected to continue next year until 100 percent of all children in the country are immunized against all childhood diseases.

However, Chinese ambassador Lin pointed out that polio is a " highly infectious disease and that the health sector cannot be easily improved without peace and sound economic environment," implying that Liberia needs to move away from war and instability.

China currently contributes up to 600 peacekeeping troops to the country under the United Nations peacekeeping mission.

It has initiated bilateral arrangements with the transitional government for the provision of Chinese medical doctors and equipment as well as the construction of staff quarters for medical personnel at the country's largest referral hospital in the capital of Monrovia.

Liberia is emerging from 14 years of civil war, which has destroyed its basic social services infrastructure. National elections were held last October to end two years of transitional administration next January.

Source: Xinhua