Ethiopia said on Friday it is gearing up for a polio vaccination campaign, targeting 5 million children under five in north, central and eastern regions of the country.

This year's first case of the polio disease was recently diagnosed in north Ethiopia's Amhara state. It brings to 24 the number of polio cases diagnosed in the country since December 2004.

The vaccination campaign, to be undertaken in north Ethiopia's Amhara and Tigray states, would be combined with vaccinations against measles in mid-April for children under five, a statement from the Health Ministry said.

Another anti-polio drive, targeting 2 million children, was also planned for mid-April in east Ethiopia, said the statement.

This second-round campaign will focus on children in the eastern part of the country, covering the city of Dire Dawa and environs, East and West Hararghe zones of the southern Oromia state, and the adjacent Harari state, it added.

The 2.2 million-dollar campaigns are funded by the World Health Organization, the UN children's Fund and the United States Centers for Disease Control (CDC) based in Atlanta, Georgia.

Source: Xinhua