Polio vaccine campaign targeting 300,000 children kicks off in Juba

The state government of Central Equitoria has kicked off a four-day Polio vaccination campaign that targets more than three hundred thousand children under the age of five. The launch took place in Juba.

The vaccine being administered is trivalent, against three strains of the polio virus.

Launching the campaign, the Health Minister of Central Equatoria state Emmanuel Ijja Baya, said the 2000 vaccinators will move from house to house, and centers will also be set up in schools, primary health care centers and protection of civilian sites.

He said that in towns like Juba, the vaccination will include in kindergarten schools so that all eligible children are vaccinated.

“It is better to include those under five who are in the kindergarten and then you can really see whether he is that age or not so that there is no child actually left out. Even all those who are born the same night also have to be vaccinated,” he said.

The campaign is spearheaded by the Central Equatoria state ministry of Health with support from UN Children’s Organization (UNICEF) and the World Health Organization.

A similar polio eradication campaign has been launched in Northern Bahr el Ghazal state. The campaign is targeting up to 400,000 children and will last for four days.

The Director General in the Northern Bahr el Ghazal State Ministry of Health, Dominic Athian Dut, has called on all parents and guardians to ensure all children under the age of five years get vaccinated.

He said that the state government was committed to the polio eradication initiative.

“I am calling upon all mothers, fathers and caretakers to make sure that all the under five children are vaccinated in this polio campaign. Every eligible child should get two drops of oral polio vaccine,” he said.

He said that the next round of vaccination will be conducted from 2nd December to 5th December 2014.