I can't say I liked the exercises, but they were a help. For many Australians the passing of Sir Donald Bradman will be like a death in the family. Egypt appears close to wiping out scourge of polio. Until recently, Egypt was listed among them, but reported cases have dwindled to three last year from nine in 1999 and 626 in 1991. No case has come to light this year.
National immunisation vaccinates all children under four against polio.
Wild virus transmission is mainly confined to the south. Local immunisation campaigns are triggered when health officials suspect its presence. The poliomyelitis virus invades the central nervous system, spreads along nerve fibres and destroys nerve cells, paralysing muscles in a condition known as acute flaccid paralysis. Doctors must immediately report cases of flaccid paralysis to the Health Ministry, which will then vaccinate anywhere from 10,000 to one million children around the suspected case. Abdel-Rahman said routine immunisation coverage now exceeded 95 percent in Egypt.