Three vaccination campaigns scheduled for this year, supplementary immunization campaigns and strict cross-border surveillance can help Nepal become a polio- free nation by 2008, the World Health Organization (WHO) said.

Julian Bilous, senior adviser of Polio Eradication and Expanded Program on Immunization of the WHO was quoted Friday by The Himalayan Times as saying that while the first phase of the vaccination campaign will be carried out on October 14-15, the second phase will be on November 18-19. The date for the third phase of the campaign has not been announced.

Nepal had remained polio-free from 2000 to 2004.

Bilous said Nepal is in a better condition compared to neighboring countries as far as achieving the goal of getting rid of polio by the year 2008 is concerned.

Around 300 polio cases have been detected in India so far this year, WHO said, and most of the cases had been detected in Bihar and Uttar Pradesh, the states bordering Nepal, according to Bilous.

While 13 cases have been detected in Bangladesh, two cases were detected in Nepal this year, bringing the total number of polio cases detected in the country since 2004 to four.

Owing to an open border with India, Nepal has been finding it difficult to check the transmission of polio.

"As every child is at risk, the Nepal government and the WHO are pulling all strings to strengthen cross-border surveillance and make the campaign against polio a success," Bilous said.

The WHO is monitoring whether the government can supply polio vaccines to all the districts and villages within the stipulated time, Bilous said.

"Routine immunization alone is not enough. Supplementary immunization days should be fixed and mop-up programs launched in high-risk areas," Bilous said.

Source: Xinhua