UNICEF: More Than One Million Polio Vaccines Lost in Sudan

The United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) announced today, Friday, that over one million polio vaccines have been lost in Sudan since violence escalated there in mid-April. In a statement to Reuters, Hazel de Witte, Deputy Director of the Emergency Programs Office at UNICEF, noted that "several cold chain facilities have been subjected to looting, damage, and destruction, including more than one million polio vaccines in South Darfur." A database from the World Health Organization reported 28 attacks on healthcare facilities in Sudan since the outbreak of conflict last month between the Sudanese army and Rapid Support Forces. Several humanitarian agencies reported instances of looting during the crisis in Sudan, including the World Food Program, which indicated it lost supplies valued between 13 to 14 million dollars.