Mia backs polio eradication effort

12:53pm Thursday 22nd May 2008

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Mia Farrow has revealed she joined Unicef's campaign to eradicate polio because of her personal experiences of the illness.

The Hollywood actress - who has 15 children, 11 of whom are adopted - had polio as a child and one of her children lost all his limbs after contracting the disease.

Mia said: "I joined Unicef on the initiative to eradicate polio. I had polio myself as a child and was fortunate enough to survive it without any real damage but I have a son who is adopted from India who is paraplegic as a result of polio.

"So I was happy to join Unicef and the World Health Programme in the initiative to eradicate polio."

The sometimes fatal illness can be prevented with a simple vaccination, but it is still not available worldwide.

Unicef Goodwill Ambassador Mia, 63, is spending a week in the Central African Republic (CAR) as part of her ongoing campaign against polio.

She was delighted to be joined on her first day in the country by the First Lady of CAR, Monique Bozize.

Mia said: "Unfortunately we're not there yet and it's really wonderful that the first lady came. It really makes polio a first-tier issue."

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