POLIO: UNICEF, NIGERIA, OTHERS TO IMMUNIZE 85 MILLION AFRICAN CHILDREN IN 4 DAYS.
The United Nations Children Fund (UNICEF) says it is supporting Nigeria and 19 other countries in West and Central Africa in a synchronized campaign to immunize more than 85 million children 
under five years old against polio in just four days.
A statement issued by the organization’s Chief of Communication (Media & External Relations) in Nigeria, Paula Fedeski stated that the exercise which is also supported by the World Health Organization (WHO) and other partners commenced at the weekend.
Nigeria, Ghana, Benin, Central African Republic, Gambia, Cape Verde, Guinea Bissau, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Chad, Guinea, Liberia, Mali, Mauritania, Senegal and Sierra Leone kicked off their 4-day campaigns on 6th March, while Niger, Togo and Cote d’Ivoire would join at a later date due to political transitions or elections.
In Nigeria, staff at 19,112 fixed immunization posts would immunize babies and children, while 32,172 house-to-house vaccination teams and 14,224 special teams, all equipped with special carriers that keep the vaccine cool, would travel on foot or motorbikes and in cars and boats on a door-to-door vaccination drive.
According to UNICEF, the Nigerian Government has purchased a total of 57 million doses of the new bivalent oral polio vaccine (it targets two strains of polio at once), enough for every child under five to get the necessary two drops.
It said Governments and traditional and religious leaders were encouraging families to bring their children for immunization against the crippling disease. “Indeed, their direct and sustained advocacy, as well as improved campaign organization, caused polio incidence to collapse in Nigeria between 2008 and 2009, with wild poliovirus type 1 cases falling 90 percent and type 3 cases falling 50 percent in that period”, the statement said.
The statement further quoted UNICEF Representative, Dr. Suomi Sakai as saying that “Nigeria’s success in beating back this crippling disease doesn’t mean it can relax just yet. If we are to protect the children in Nigeria and neighbouring countries by totally eradicating polio, we have to keep this effort going but the end is in sight.”
The organization urged every Nigerian to help kick polio out of the country by making sure each child in their households gets vaccinated at the clinic or every time the vaccinator comes calling.
UNICEF Nigeria organized the procurement of the 57 million doses of the vaccine that the Government of Nigeria purchased for this campaign. It also supported the maintenance of the cold chain, the system of refrigerated storage and transportation facilities needed to keep the vaccine below the 8C required to preserve the vaccine’s potency. The funding for UNICEF’s logistics and social mobilization contribution to this campaign was provided by Rotary International, a major partner in the global effort to stop polio.
| Your name: | |
| Email Address: | |
| Mobile Number: | |