Banjul: - 17 March 2022: The Ministry of Health is currently in the final stages of preparation for the second round of the national Polio Vaccination Campaign. The immunization campaign is targeting children under the age of five years, who are at higher risk of polio. With support from the World Health Organization, UNICEF, the Global Polio Eradication Initiative, US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and other partners, the campaign will be held from March 19, 2022 – March 22, 2022. In preparation for the event, the Ministry and its partners have already initiated the training of local health workers, while the training for regional vaccinators is currently underway. The campaign will take a two pronged approach with its advocacy efforts: a door-to-door campaign, combined with targeting strategic locations like childhood development centres, nursery schools, markets, ferry crossing points, and health centres.
Vaccinating children with the oral polio vaccine is proven to stop the transmission of the polio virus in the community. The polio vaccine is the only way to prevent polio, which can be fatal if untreated, and historically, the polio vaccine has been shown to be the safest and most efficient method in containing any sudden polio outbreaks. Hence, the campaign is a major priority of the government with the aim of protecting its citizens from the harmful polio virus. The vaccination campaign is targeting 382,908 children aged 0 -59 months old across the country'
It is in this vein that Ministry of Health issued a press release urging families, caregivers, community leaders and religious leaders to ensure eligible children get the vaccine. Health workers alongside vaccinators, supervisors, and the international monitors are working hard to make the immunization campaign a success.
A concerned parent who wants to be anonymous lamented, “Let no child miss this opportunity because immunization saves lives”.
