Celebrating Victory in Angola
Polio is practically unheard of in the West, thanks to the use of vaccines that stop the disease before it has a change to infect victims. But unfortunately the same is not true in other parts of the world such as Angola. Vaccines are limited due to a lack of resources, war and cultural taboos.
Thanks to the efforts of The Salvation Army World Services Office (SAWSO), regional partners, and its generous donors, polio has been successfully eradicated from the African nation of Angola. As of March 2012, no new cases have been detected.
Eliminating polio would be a marathon rather than a sprint with monitoring and prevention efforts. Over the span of five years children received vaccinations, parents were educated on the disease and communities were mobilized to report any suspected cases of polio.
It is important to celebrate these hard-won victories, and the lives saved and improved through the efforts of our staff, our partners, our donors and our Creator.
As long as illness plagues the world, The Salvation Army will be there to help fight for a cure.