saving the children - a report on the biggest polio vaccination campaign in the middle east. >>>. >>> the latest from the philippines, which has declared a state of national calamity following typhoon haiyan. the biggest challenge of course is to provide aid to the millions of people affected. dozens of countries promised to provide help. these are some of the latest pictures coming in to us. the official number of dead - climbing. that total now - this is the official number at 1,744. the united nations says 10,000 people are feared dead in the city of tacloban alone. thousands are trying to get on military planes to flee the destroyed areas. we will go live to manila and talk to marga ortigas, where the aid effort is being coordinated. tell us what is happening? >> this is a government warehouse run by the social department trying to get food out to those who most need it. what has been happening here is since the store happened on friday there has been thousands of people that have come to volunteer. they felt impotence at not being able to do anything to help 10% of the population

. >> reporter: this is one of dozens of centers providing free polio vaccinations. it is part of movement coordinated with the lebanese government. in this clinic alone about 200 children receive the vaccine every day. there are 800,000 syrians registered as refugees here, half of them are children, and many have not been vak noised since they arrived. the uniteded nations say there is a risk of an polio outbreak here. but officials acknowledge that the task is particularly difficult in lebanon. here syrian refugees live among the population. and they are spread across the country. unlike in other neighboring countries there are no official camps in lebanon. reaching all of them will be a challenge. >> we hope that everybody will receive the messages. families are settled sometimes in garages or literally wherever they can find a space to set up a shelter. >> reporter: health authorities here are not taking any chances. syrian children, for example, go to lebanese schools where polio vaccinations are now being administered. and vaccination teams and mobile medical u

it's one of the largest polio vaccination drives ever. that concludes our v [traditional music] ♪ (gyatso) everywhere, we are talking. we are talking constantly about peace, peace from humanity. isn't it? a peaceful world.

eight workers in several countries have launched a massive polio vaccination campaign coming after a breakout in syria. the campaign aims to vaccinate 20 million children throughout the region. in lebanon, all children under five will receive the vaccine. the polio vaccination drive is one of the largest ever. , where the communist party has begun a key economic summit to figure out how to further liberalize the economy. first full meeting since a new generation of leaders took over the party, and two weeks after what china says was a terrorist attack in kinnaman square. it is being held in beijing on it tight security. people in the maldives went to the polls to elect a new president. former human rights activist mom and the sheet is considered the favorite to win. -- mohamed nasheed is the favorite to win. voters have voted twice to elect a new president, but the supreme court on old one vote and the police stopped another. vote one wins saturday's out right, there will be a runoff on sunday. germany is marking the 75th thousands been killed, beaten, or arrested, and commemorations

so just on the polio vaccine. >> okay, thank you. >> that's right. >> okay, so you see the polio vaccine. now what has happened is that there are just so many players in this field at the moment. there's all kinds of people crossing the boarders into pakistan. there's a lot of foreign funded elements that are causing responsible for the terrorists attacks and so on and so forth. so what happens is that there have been cases like raymond davis, and i'm -- i also hold the government of pakistan responsible for issuing reasons to people who were spies in pakistan. so there is this trust deficit. they don't know. this kind of activity has been attributed to them, that may come into the tribal areas and they are trying to help with the funds to the terrorists instead of actually administering the vaccine. i know the u.s. is involved and i know a lot of work is legit. but there is reason for suspicious, because the element of trust is not there. i also blame the government because they are not very involved in the activities. we don't know the road map this the government is laying out for how

it's one of the largest polio vaccination drives ever and that includes all review of the week's news. how about you your eye. the air. what's the world's biggest story each day. exclusive to any team that works. to top story was the case most intriguing topic as told by nhc premier global content partners back to back in english. it's what they mean washington seeks enlightenment you have a party happening here so it's good to hear. seventeen with me. thanks to a doting after that i can take that stealing is just too new and it makes the networks to work on in each seat. he wrote continue to share with your friends on facebook and twitter the top story on the m a c networks enough of international history. now you can bring your favorite detectives home on dvd. the best of international mystery and drama. now available at teammate see networks dot org chew. and. the but that. men are created all that bad. we already know the direction of about billion on monday he not the pd. rich is the most powerful country. moon. soon i i in the story each day excludes any team that works the top

from polio. the disease has reemerged after more tlan a decade. two months ago their father brought his family to lebanon to escape the hardship and violence. >> translator: there are no health senors in syria. we are worried about the polio virus, but at least here we are able to give the children what they need. >> reporter: this is one of dozen un center, that is part of a coordination with the lebanese government to make sure all syrian children living in lebanon are vaccinated. half of the refugees here are children, and many have not been vaccinated since they arrived. the united nations says there is a risk of an outbreak in the region after cases were confirmed in syria. officials acknowledge this task is particularly difficult in lebanon. here syrian refugees live among the population, and they are spread across the country unlike in other neighboring countries, there are no official counts in lebanon. reaching all of them will be a challenge. >> we hope that everybody will receive the m

refugees. >> reporter: it's the first time that these children are being vaccinated against polio. these children are refugees from syria, where the disease has reemerged after more than a decade. two months ago their father brought his family to lebanon to escape the hardship and violence. >> there are no health centers in syria. it is hard to find medicine for children. at least here we are able to give the children what they need. >> reporter: this is one of dozens of un centers. it is part of a campaign coordinated with the lebanese government to make sure that all children living in lebanon are immunized. there are 800,000 sirrance registered as refugees here. half of them are children, and many have not been vaccinated since they arrived. the united nations says there is a risk of a polio outbreak in the region after cases were confirmed in syria. it says it is doing its best to mitigate the risk, but officials acknowledge that the task is particularly difficult in lebanon. here syrian refugees live among the population. >> reporter: and they are spread across the country. th

also on the program saving the children we report on the biggest polio vaccination in the east. a tiny city drowning in rubbish and madrid is such a mess. ♪ welcome to the program, the philippines is in a state of calamity and the world is responding and millions of dollars are pouring in and they are sending war ships following the worst storms in history and the number of people dead is climbing and put the total at 1744. however, the u.n. says 10,000 people are feared dead in a city of tocloban and millions left their homes and aid is extremely difficult. in total close to 10 million have been effected by the disaster. we have reporters covering different areas of the country. later in the day we will hear from wayne who is in one of the worst hit areas and we are in the capital manila looking at aid distribution and we have one in northern sadoo and people were in desperate need of food and a few aid workers reached the area and this is a update she filed a short time ago. >> attention from rescue workers so far and people are quite desperate for food and water. this is ba

this lead to the polio vaccine. this is one person who reveres him. suzie. she was born with clubbed feet. it's now for spinal diseases. these were men put to work. you could go to a library and check out toys. these are three themes i identified. beauty, permanence. this is a minor's wife. she doesn't look like a dorothy lang photographer. i am sure she felt better. these are stair cases in new deal buildings. part of the idea, i think this is really an expression of the old arts and crafts movement, which elnor roosevelt was part it. this was a janitor, once he checked me out, he said, come on in, i have to show you something. there was a beautiful wood laid mosaic. this is a marble mosai c. this is at the national zoo. and there's the beautiful rock work. they didn't build porto potties. this is a restroom in yosemite. we discovered these above phoenix. then there's art work which celebrates people doing ordinary but indispensable stuff. this is up at timber line lodge. they were not used to seeing them or getting classes in journalism. they would get peo

vaccine, trying to stop the spread of this disease. in lebanon, the concern is a little greater. they've had more than 1 million refugees crossing the border and unlike neighboring countries, the refugees are not concentrated in one area. in fact, they're in cities, in towns and in the countryside. nonetheless, the major common denominator is to intercept people as they're crossing borders and immunize them there. the once proud syrian medical system which could brag that more than 90% of children were vaccinated now has dropped to 60% and with that, the resurgence of deadly polio. >> thank you. >>> back here in new york, the world's biggest marathon was back on course today after being canceled last year in the immediate aftermath of hurricane sandy. the new york city marathon also came less than seven months after the bombings of the boston marathon. the memories of that tragic day are still fresh. nbc's ron allen was at today's race. >> reporter: as some 50,000 runners conquered the streets of new york, the largest group ever, compe

vaccinations before the conflict erupted more than two years ago united states authorities had said that the man used a semi automatic rifle to shoot his way through a security checkpoint at los angeles international airport on friday november first killing a federal security officer and wounding two people in a neat that the disruptive hundreds of flights around the country. there were about war seven hundred and forty six light that were abandoned forty six of those were diverted to other local airports. the rest were either held on a rant here. i only actually wore their originating and white. check the guy who's now in custody after being wounded in a shootout with police targeted transportation security administration agents to deal of security checks at us airports. the tsa has identified thirty nine year old curator hernandez as the man who was killed. he's the first tsa officer job losses like the line of duty since the agency spending twelve years ago. ellie's mayor thinks the police for their intervention which saves countless other lives there were more than a hundred mor

the yipes is beginning the largest polio vaccination campaign in the middle east. more than 20 million children will be immunized that include lebanon, which hosts hundreds of thousands of syrian refugees. reporting now from beirut. >> it is the first time that they are being vaccinated against polio. these children are refugees from syria. where the disease has reemerged after more than a decade. two months ago his family brought them here to escape the hardship and violence. >> there shall no health centers it is hard to find medicine, at least here we are able to give them what they need. >> it is part of a campaign coordinated with the lebanese government. to make sure all children of all nationalities living in lebanon are immunized. >> in this clinic alone, 200 children receive the vaccine every day. there are 800,000 syrians registered as refugees here. half of them are children, and many have not been vaccinated since they arrived. >> the united nations says there is a risk of a polio outbreak, after cases were confirmed in syria. it says it is doing its be

nearly all young people in syria were given polio vaccinations before the conflict erupted within two years ago toronto mayor rob ford has apologized for being heard in and acknowledge the need to curb his drinking but the mayor of canada's largest city to address allegations of crack cocaine blogskin said he will remain in his job despite mounting pressure to resign he made steaks. what can do right now. apologize the mistakes. i sincerely sincerely apologize. my family. so the citizens taxpayers of this great city my colleagues. i promise to council. ford made his remarks on his local weekly radio show to at least one caller told him to take a leave of absence. i want you to take in the bakery it took us to try to we believe maybe you need time away police have said they had obtained a copy of a video that appears to show him smoking a crack cocaine. i ate or didn't address the contents of the tape saying he cannot comment on that ap has seen but called on police to release it. i want the police chief bill blair. it released this video for every single person the city to see. it's t

their children go to lebanese schools where the polio vaccination are being administered. >> the mobile medical units are going door-to-door. the virus spreads quickly particularly in unsanitary areas. many lebanese are worried because thousands of syrians cross into lebanon everyday. >> we are afraid and hope that the government tightens control at the borders to prevent the virus from reaching here. polio has broken out in syria so far it's paralyzed ten children. now hundreds of thousands of children across the region are at risk. >>> ethanol has been touted as a clean alternative to possible fuels. but the rush to produce more bio fuels has caused damage. as farmers rushed to find new places to plant corn they wiped out conservation land and pollute the water supplies. they called the ap report a hatch oahatchet job and it's rih errors. >> the boston marathon bomber's lawyer was in court. today. >> his lawyers depicted here from a previous hearing say their restrictions are impeding their ability to amount a defense. he may inspire others to carry out violence if he is treated more

they were taking part in a polio vaccination campaign. officials say they were taken by the taliban. it is the latest in a series of attacks on pakistani health workers by the taliban. >>> the doctor who helped find al-qaeda leader osama bin laden has beebin laden, he was accusef killing and of fraud. saying he was not allowed to operate on her son because he wasn't a surgery. egypt has expelled the turkish ambassador to cairo, the latest plow between the two countries egypt blames turkey for interfering in it's affairs. >> the government of egypt has decided the following: first, the egyptian he has been called for consultation. third, the turkish ambassador to cairo be called the egyptian foreign ministry to inform him he is no longer welcome in egypt and be respecte requested to lee country. the turkish government responsible for the deterioration of bilateral relations, which made the steps taken by egypt of the necessary. >> in istanbul with reaction from turkey, but first let's go to cairo, tell us more how we reached this point? >>

also on the program saving the children we report on the biggest polio vaccination in the east. a tiny city drowning in

the children who got polio, she tells me. but thank god we have the vaccines. this center has some of the best health care there is in syria. families know it is safe to bring their children. it is not the same across the rest of the country. syria used to be polio free since the late 1990's. and now an area torn by fighting, there is a least 10 confirmed cases and fears there could be more. those cases were brought here to the children's hospital in the capital. the hospital is on alert for any children with possible symptoms. doctor oversees the process. she is in charge of the government's immunization program. >> it is a sudden disease with no symptoms. children may become paralyzed in one or both legs. iis is a huge challenge and will fight until there is no more polio. >> it is her fight in the midst of war. aid agencies say half a million children need to be vaccinated. >> in some areas it is difficult to implement the vaccination. if we want to control it, the campaign should be very short. and wide. this is the real problem we're facing. we do not have

the children who got polio, she tells me. but thank god we have the vaccines. this center has some of the best health care there is in syria. families know it is safe to bring their children. it is not the same across the rest of the country. syria used to be polio free since the late 1990's. and now an area torn by fighting, there is a least 10 confirmed cases and fears there could be more. those cases were brought here to the children's hospital in the capital. the hospital is on alert for any children with possible symptoms. doctor oversees the process. she is in charge of the government's immunization program. >> it is a sudden disease with no symptoms. children may become paralyzed in one or both legs. iis is a huge challenge and will fight until there is no more polio. >> it is her fight in the midst of war. aid agencies say half a million children need to be vaccinated. >> in some areas it is difficult to implement the vaccination. if we want to control it, the campaign should be very short. and wide. this is the real problem we're facing. we do not have

they say the polio vaccine is not effective enough to prevent the disease from spreading. >>> and most americans plan on retiring by the age of 65, but a growing number of older workers are staying in the work force. tom aeshgman reports. >> reporter: in this pack, gail stands out. she recently turned 65. she said she doesn't know when she'll decide to stop working. >> i never actually thought about retirement because it just wasn't anything in my consciousness. >> reporter: but the rocky u.s. housing economy has also made working longer a necessity for her. >> pretty much everything i saved i lost. so i'm kind of at square one at this point. >> reporter: she is part of what economists view is one of the biggest changes in the u.s. economy. the surge of seniors in the work force. government projections see a 12% drop in the number of workers age 16 to 24, barely any increase from 25 to 54, while workers 65 and up will grow by 31%. one reason is a smaller draw on pensions. social security, the national prengs program allows you to draw a paycheck and still collect your full retirement b

they were taking part in a polio vaccination campaign for schoolchildren. they were taken by the taliban. it's the latest in a series of attacks on pakistani health workers. >> u.s. secretary of state john kerry is in geneva to join negotiations on iran's nuclear program. it is raising hopes that the latest round of talks could end with a breakthrough. john kerry jones russian and french counterparts. diplomats are expected to arrive raising hopes of a breakthrough. what is on the table? iran says it has the right to enrich uranium insisting that it is for nuclear research. it says the ability to enrich is red line. but that technology can produce bombs. france, u.s., china, russia and the u.s. want to stop that happening and are calling on iran to allow more inspections of its facilities, in return tehran wants an end to crippling sanctions. now we go live to our correspondent covering the talks. the big guns arrived in geneva. a sign of a break through? >> most are here. some to arrive. signs of a breakthrough. impossible not to see signs with political h

providing polio vaccines for 20 million children. >> the vaccination is across the country, it is in all public health facilities, all shelters, and door to door. all the children under five irspenttivirrespective of natioe immunized. >> a national vaccination campaign already began yesterday in lebanon. >>> much more ahead on al jazeera america, including a source of hope for millions of americans struggling with mental illness and addiction. new rules to help those heal are ahead. and with them, a storm of views. how can you fully understand the impact unless you've heard angles you hadn't considered? consider this... antonio mora brings you smart conversation that challenges the status quo with unexpected opinions and a fresh outlook. including yours. >> what do you think? >> stories that matter to you consider this unconventional wisdom. weeknights 10 eastern on al jazeera america >> start with one issue education... gun control... the gap between rich and poor... job creation... climate change... tax cuts... the economy... iran... healthcare... it goes on and on... ad guests on

. >>> the largest-ever polio vaccine campaign is underway in the

it's the place where sabin discovered the oral polio vaccine, invented it, the vaccine that we now depend on for eradication of polio in the world. in cystic fibrosis, turns out some of our country's top experts are at the university of cincinnati. the author of the chapter on cf in "the bible of pediatrics" is the director of the program there. they wrote some of the guidelines that our country depends on for good care of the children. and yet there they were right in the middle. so i thought, well, okay, you have, you know, all the marquee stars, but what really happens underneath? when the patients actually arrive? and so i spent time in clinic there, and i saw conscientious, attentive care, as good care as i could hope for for my child. the doctors were, knew tear patients extremely -- their patients extremely well. the patients were devoted to them, and the care was as careful as you could hope for. and yet there they were in the middle. so then the puzzle is, well with, maybe they're doing something differently at the top. maybe they have a secret drug nobody else knows about. [laug

vaccine workers and people trying to -- and they shoot them. >> so it turns out if you try to eliminate a disease like polio your hardest places are going to be the worst places on earth in multiple categories. they have governance issues they have safety issues, they have hygiene issue. we have a unit called the institute for disease modeling that is working very intensively on trying to model "what if" scenarios to try to guide well, what if this happens how do we respond we radcation? >> rose: malaria, where are we with maly ya? >> malaria is another very hard problem. malaria is a disease that has been with man for a long time. it used to be a scourge in europe. people don't think about this but malaria is an italian word! and something like 14 or 15 popes died of malaria rome used to have a terrible malaria problem. >> rose: what happened? used to be you said. >> they wised up in a variety of different ways including draining swamps and public health measures. it turns out you can beat malaria if you have a high enough per capita income. so roughly $2,500 a year per person, count w

vaccine workers and people trying to -- and they shoot them. >> so it turns out if you try to eliminate a disease like polio your hardest places are going to be the worst places on earth in multiple categories. they have governance issues, they have safety issues, they have hygiene issue. we have a unit called the institute for disease modeling that is working very intensively on trying to model "what if" scenarios to try to guide well, what if this happens how do we respond we radcation? >> rose: malaria, where are we with maly ya? >> malaria is another very hard problem. malaria is a disease that has been with man for a long time. it used to be a scourge in europe. people don't think about this, but malaria is an italian word! and something like 14 or 15 popes died of malaria rome used to have a terrible malaria problem. >> rose: what happened? used to be, you said. >> they wised up in a variety of different ways including draining swamps and public health measures. it turns out you can beat malaria if you have a high enough per capita income. so roughly $2,500 a year per person, coun

the tougher call, the tougher ask is to get a temporary cease-fire so the polio vaccination and medical aid and food can be got into syria. the u.n. estimates there are 300,000 syrians cut off from aid and 2 million are in what they call hard-to-reach areas. it's vital that we don't turn our diplomatic action away from that vital need to reach those poor people in the middle of syria at the moment cut off from more help. >> david miliband is the president and ceo of the international rescue committee, the former foreign secretary of the united kingdom. david, thanks very much. >> thanks very much, wolf. good to be with you. >>> up next, the girlfriend that george zimmerman is accused of assaulting is now speaking out. sfx: oil gushing out of pipe. sfx: birds chirping. i started part-time, now i'm a manager.n. my employer matches my charitable giving. really. i get bonuses even working part-time. where i work, over 400 people are promoted every day. healthcare starting under $40 a month. i got education benefits. i work at walmart. i'm a pharmacist. sales associate. i manage produce. i w

a campaign to vaccinate 20 million children against polio is under way in the middle east, after an outbreak in syria. the united nations said today they are working in syria, in refugee camps like this one in lebanon, and in other neighboring countries. >> the vaccination is across the country, so it's in the settlement, as the one that you'll see here. and it's in nonpublic health facilities, all shelter, and then door to door. all the children, irrespective of nationality are vaccinated. >> woodruff: children are especially vulnerable to contracting and spreading polio. the vaccinations will be administered over the next six months. the obama administration issued sweeping new rules today to expand mental health care coverage. the regulations mandate that health insurers cover mental illness and addiction the same as they would a physical ailment. we'll delve into the new rules later in the program. the white house promised help today for americans whose health insurance policies have been canceled. a spokesman said that officials are looking at administrative solutions. president obama a

lebanon. >> it's the first time that they are being vaccinated against polio. these children are refugees from syria where the disease has reemerged after more than a decade. two months ago their father brought his family to lebanon to escape the hardship and violence. >> translator: there are no health centers in syria. it is hard to find medicine for children. we are worried about the polio virus but at least here we are able to give the children what they need. >> reporter: this is one of dozens of u.n. centers providing free polio vaccinations and part of a campaign coordinated with the lebanese government to make sure all children of all nationalitys living in lebanon are immunized. in this clinic alone about 200 children receive the vaccine everyday. there are 800,000 syrians registered as refugees here. half of them are children. and many have not been vaccinated since they arrived. the u.n. says there is a risk of a polio outbreak in the region after cases were confirmed in syria and says it's doing its best to mitigate the risk but officials acknowledg

her mission, to get them vaccinated against polio. the latest from a deadly war that has left syria's public health system in shambles. with millions of syrians displaced, vaccination rates have plummeted to just 60% in a country that had not seen a single case of polio since 1999. and there are concerns the highly contagious disease will spread beyond syria carried by refugees. many have fled to jordan where day and night jordanian military personnel meet trucks full of families. vaccinating every family that crosses the border. almost 19,000 last week alone. it is a race to keep the most vulnerable from being damaged, the younger victims. with a disease that is normally so easy to prevent. >> of course it doesn't recognize any of the kinds of barriers that you might expect to prevent transmission of one thing or another. >> reporter: health officials on the ground warn that for every child with symptoms, there may be 200 others now carrying the virus. and with half a million syrian children in syria, unvaccinated, it poses a real co

. >> i just want to ask if there is any update our progress on polio vaccinations since you were last year? >> i would suggest there has been progress in the sense that the government of sudan has agreed to have further meetings. demonstrating that even though in their view there is no need for a further meeting they are prepared to do whatever is necessary. and because of that is what it appears is needed. we appeal to both sides to prioritize to get this under way. i am hopeful that this will happen but that is not enough. we actually have to see it translate into the operation on the ground. but progress is i was last year i am hoping in led by eight unicef in that it would just take a couple of days to vaccinate the 165,000 children from a scourged that should be eliminated. thank you. >> the president met with insurance ceos earlier today to discuss the concerns of the rollout shortly before the meeting press secretary jay carney talks about the president's willingness to make changes. here is some of what he had to say. >> the president said in his remarks, prepared remarks yest

high enough on average to protect us against the spread of polio. but if we have some populations that are less vaccinated then these populations may be hit by a chain of infections if infection is introduced frequently enough and may have a problem then. >> reporter: what you are saying is if you have vaccinated fine and if not go and get vaccinated. >> that is the recommendation to everybody in syria and in europe. >> reporter: all right, thanks so much. >> thank you. >> reporter: now obese america, we will bring you the attempt by u.s. food authorities to prevent heart attacks and premature death. happy home coming from adam scott from the australia championship and details coming up, with joe. and to contact the centers and welcome back, let's recap the headlines on al jazeera now. palestinian investigators accepted the findings that yasser arafat was certainly poisoned and a russian report said toxic substances were found in his remains that said the evidence was inconclusive. strongest typhoon to hit land is battering the philippines with sust

for polio. >> who owns the patent on this vaccine? >> there is no patent. this is--could you patent the sun? >> he said it was like trying to patent the sun. >> yes, i know. but maybe it was a slightly different time. today you're going to have to have people to get their investment back. >> but they're not selling cars; they're selling health. >> whether it's cars or health, there has to be a profit for some investor to invest. if we want to eliminate profit, i think we're talking about a different economic system. >> i don't think people are talking about the elimination of profit; they're talking about a reasonable cost. >> again, i think that, yes, i'd like the test to be cheaper. and when the patents expire, they will be. >> the last of myriad's patents on the breast cancer genes expires in eight years, but if chris hansen has his way, that could be even sooner. he's the lead lawyer for the american civil liberties union in what could be a landmark case against myriad genetics and the u.s. patent office. the case has the support

and part of the reason is they are under vaccinated. officials have warned that there was a risk, unsanitary conditions faced by refugees are likely to spread the disease. syria joins only three countries battling polio. the president of the syrian/american medical society joins us tonight. i understand you have been quite recently in country. we appreciate you coming back and talking with us. outbreak? >> it is very significant, but it is the tip of the iceberg, and i just recently came from the city of [ inaudible ] and the situation in syria is disastrous. this is my eighth trip to the region, and every time the humanitarian situation is worse than the time before. this is destruction of the public health care system. people are suffering, especially children and woman. doctors are leaving syria because they don't have support system. they are being targeted -- >> and when it comes to something like polio in this place, that's a particular medical resource that could be available to them if there were these kinds of things that you'r

and part of the reason is they are under vaccinated. officials have warned that there was a risk, unsanitary conditions faced by refugees are likely to spread the disease. syria joins only three countries battling polio. the president of the syrian/american medical society joins us tonight. i understand you have been quite recently in country. we appreciate you coming back and talking with us. how significant is this outbreak? >> it is very significant, but it is the tip of the iceberg, and i just recently came from the city of [ inaudible ] and the situation in syria is disastrous. this is my eighth trip to the region, and every time the humanitarian situation is worse than the time before. this is destruction of the public health care system. people are suffering, especially children and woman. doctors are leaving syria because they don't have support system. they are being targeted -- >> and when it comes to something like polio in this place, that's a particular medical resource that could be available to them if there were these ki

for polio. in the 1970s in greenwich, connecticut a whole bunch of kids got polio, in the 1970s because they were from families who were christian science and didn't believe in vaccinations. their -- course of action as their son died and who sent a practitioner to the boy's bedside to pray while he died instead of giving him the insulin shot that would have saved his life. dozens of its members have been charged in connection with people's death from treatalable illnesses. deaths from measles, deaths from as ma, deaths from treatable tumors and can sir. if your boss is a christian scientist, should his legitimately held religious beliefs mean that your health insurance shouldn't cover things that he thinks should only be cured with prayer, things like measles, asthma, should he be able to if your boss is a joe hoef have's witness, should he be able to stop your health insurance from covering the cost of a blood transfusion. if your boss thinks that aids is the punishment who hates the people he