Monday March 27, 2017
Kabul (BNA) The Ministry of Public Health yesterday launched the first spring round of National Immunization Days (NIDs) for polio eradication in 2017, a statement from the ministry said.
According to the statement, the campaign which will take place from 27-31 March is the first national campaign in 2017. More than 8.8 million children under five will be vaccinated against polio and more than 7.9 million aged 6 months to 5 years will be given vitamin A tablets, the statement added. The campaign will cover all provinces, except Bamyan, Daikondi and Ghor provinces due to cold weather. The Minister of Public Health Dr. Ferozuddin Feroz reiterated the importance of this campaign and the need to reach all children under five regardless of where they live. He reiterated the need to ensure the safety of the committed volunteers and front line health workers to perform successfully their noble duties in delivering health services to every Afghan household to protect all children from this paralyzing disease, the statement continued. The Minister of Public Health reiterated the importance of polio vaccine to ensure all children are protected from the crippling effects of polio. Most countries of the world are now free from polio as a result of immunization.
Afghanistan is one of only three countries in the world where polio still exists. Fortunately polio can be eliminated completely like smallpox. Afghanistan has made significant progress in the effort to stop polio and is accelerating efforts to ensure polio is finished for good. This national campaign will be run by 65,000 polio workers who will go from house to house in their communities to vaccinate children. On Friday of this week, polio teams will revisit households where children were missed the first time the vaccinators visited to ensure that all children are vaccinated and protected. Afghanistan, Pakistan and Nigeria are the only three countries in the world where polio is still circulating. Two polio cases have been reported in 2017, one from Helmand and one from Kandahar. In 2016, 13 polio cases were reported, down from 20 in 2015. Most of Afghanistan remains polio-free, but wild poliovirus continues to circulate in localized geographical areas in the eastern, southern and south-eastern parts of the country.
Meanwhile Dr. Richard Peeper Korn, Representative of WHO and Ms. Adele Khodr, Representative of UNICEF spoke on the issue and reiterated their cooperation with government of Afghanistan in eradication of polio from this country. Polio vaccine is safe and it does not have any side effects even for sleeping, sick and newborn children. Polio vaccines have been endorsed by scholars including national and global Ulema. While last year was a challenging year for polio eradication in Afghanistan, significant progress and new initiatives have been implemented in strengthening of this program. All polio eradication activities have been brought under one leadership. Emergency Operation Centers (EOCs) have been established at the national and sub-national level. The surveillance system in the country is of international standard now. Polio eradication program is now fully supported by the top leadership of the government and inter-ministerial coordination has been established.
The support and commitment of national and international religious scholars has been gained. The public awareness and knowledge has been raised throughout the country with the support of media and other communication tools. The public support and contribution has increased to polio eradication program. The independence and transparency of the program have been maintained between the government and opposition. The quality of campaigns, routine immunization and rapid response to polio cases has improved tremendously, the statement concluded.
