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Health workers carrying polio vaccine, as part of a vaccination campaign organized by the opposition Assistance Coordination Unit, Aleppo, Syria, May 5, 2014

Article initially published in The New York Review on August 27, 2014 and written by Save The Children in response to Annie Sparrow’s article on the public health crisis in Syria and in particular the threat of polio.

In response to Annie Sparrow’s recent article on the public health crisis in Syria and in particular the threat of polio, The New York Review has received the following statement from Save the Children-UK. A reply by Sparrow is posted beneath the statement.

—The Editors


There was never a shortage of vaccines for the campaign as alleged by Dr. Sparrow, but there was a shortage of funding to allow these vaccines to be delivered in northern Syria. In response to this identified need, Save the Children stepped in to provide funding to allow the second round of vaccinations to take place in our area of operation.

Pictures of expired Polio vaccines

Read the full response on nybooks.com