The second round of a vaccination campaign to protect over 2.8 million children from polio has begun in South Sudan.
An outbreak of the disease, which was first declared last September, has spread to 17 counties in all states in the country.
It is understood that conflict and insecurity in the country, as well as perennial flooding have led to low rates of immunisation, making children more vulnerable to polio.
The vaccination campaign, according to the World Health Organisation (WHO), began in November 2020 and rollout of the second phase started on 16 February, 2021.
Workers, it was gathered, have been going from house to house to inoculate children with the oral polio vaccine, while adhering to Covid-19 protocols.
A WHO statement says the health body and partners are supporting the Ministry of Health in the country with the nationwide initiative.
Director General for Primary Health Care at the country’s Ministry of Health, Dr Atem Nathan, said the ultimate goal was to ensure South Sudan remains polio-free while improving routine immunisation coverage.
‘I am encouraging all caregivers to allow their children to be vaccinated by the house-to-house teams’, he said.
To stop the outbreak and prevent further spread, the ministry, together with WHO, UNICEF and partners are stepping up surveillance in the search for children who may have developed sudden paralysis.
‘The campaign provides an opportunity for the vulnerable children to receive critical interventions that can avert life-threatening disease such as disability from poliomyelitis’, WHO Representative for South Sudan, Dr Olushayo Olu, said.
Source: UN News
Photo source: UNICEF Ethiopia
