VIENTIANE, Oct. 17 (Xinhua) -- The recent death of a polio-stricken
8-year-old Lao boy had refocused local and world attention to polio, an
ailment which is now almost extinct in other parts of the world.
The death has drawn the attention of policymakers from the
10-member Association of South-East Asian Nations (ASEAN) as they gather
in the nation's capital Vientiane for a five-day Ministerial Meeting on
Rural Development and Poverty Eradication.
A personal tragedy for the boy's family and a deep concern for
local and national Lao health authorities, the death also marks a
setback in the global fight against the disease and the attainment of a
"polio-free world."
The incident has also drawn attention to the plight of children
in the developing country of some seven million, whose population is
mostly young people and is set to surpass 10 million by the end of the
decade.
One particularly passionate advocate of children in Laos and
beyond is United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) Country Representative
for Laos, China's Ms Hongwei Gao.
Speaking to Xinhua's Vientiane Bureau, Ms. Gao said the death was
a reminder that every child must be immunized to prevent polio and
other potentially fatal or debilitating illnesses.
"The polio virus can cause lifelong paralysis. There is no cure
but it can be prevented by vaccine. We are now close to a polio-free
world, but there is only one way to reach it: take action and immunize
all children," she said.
Meanwhile, the launch of a national polio vaccination campaign by
the country's Prime Minister Thongsing Thammavong Thursday was a
demonstration of high level commitment to the cause.
"In the past two or three years the government of Laos has
sharply increased this budget allocation to support national
immunization program to buy good quality vaccines...this is evidence of
action to concretely support child development," Ms. Gao said.
She said Laos had made great strides to achieve the Millennium
Development Goals set for 2015, particularly in reducing extreme poverty
and hunger, decreasing child and maternal mortality rates, and ensuring
that more children are enrolled in schools.
However, Ms. Gao said the country's high rate of malnutrition or
under nutrition among some 44 percent of Lao children remained an area
requiring continued improvement, particularly in affected rural and
remote areas.
"Nutrition is the one indicator where Lao is really lagging
behind other countries and this is a huge challenge to national
development. If not addressed properly, this would result in huge loss
in human capital," she said.
Improved sanitation and food preparation practices and exclusive
breastfeeding for the first six months of the child's life are among the
remedies, she said.
"What does it take to ensure that a child has good nutritional status?"
It takes, of course, good and sufficient food, and good and efficient feeding practices by parents," Ms. Gao said.
According to Ms. Gao, a well coordinated effort to boost
children's safety and their active participation in socio-economic
development could particularly benefit countries with young populations
such as Laos.
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