2 more polio deaths discovered, vaccine to arrive today

TWO more deaths due to the wild poliovirus type one have been reported as the country awaits the arrival of 2,5 million doses of polio vaccine this morning.

Health Permanent Secretary Dr Kalumbi Shangula said yesterday that the two deaths increased the number of those who had succumbed to the virus to 10. The two cases are not new deaths but medical records had finally confirmed that the people died from polio complications.The number of people hospitalised is now 47.Unicef’s External Communications Officer, Judy Matjila, said yesterday that the monovalent Oral Polio Vaccine (mOPV) would arrive three days earlier than expected thanks to the intervention of Unicef Copenhagen, which expedited the consignment.”The arrival allows the Government more time for planning the positioning and distribution of vaccines,” Matjila said.Shangula said an official handover ceremony was planned for later today.He said all patients at the Katutura State Hospital were stable and that the children among them were energetic.”It is quite encouraging.The children are playing around,” he said.On Sunday, Health Minister Dr Richard Kamwi said South Africa and Botswana were ready to send medical personnel to Namibia to help with a nationwide polio vaccination campaign that starts on June 21.Local health institutions have stopped administering the trivalent Oral Polio Vaccine (tOPV) after being requested to do so by Government.Shangula said tOPV was only for children under five years and reduced the immune response to the right mOPV.The first round of the State-sponsored drive to immunise every Namibian against polio will take place for three days starting from June 21.The second round has been set for July 18 to 20 and the third round, which will only include children under the age of five years, is scheduled for August 20 to 24.Round three will include polio and measles vaccinations as well as vitamin A supplementation.The first polio case arrived at Windhoek’s Katutura Hospital from Aranos in the south on May 10.Shangula said they had decided to immunise every Namibian because those so far infected were mostly older than 14 years.He said anyone who experienced polio symptoms should immediately go to their nearest health institution for treatment.The two cases are not new deaths but medical records had finally confirmed that the people died from polio complications.The number of people hospitalised is now 47.Unicef’s External Communications Officer, Judy Matjila, said yesterday that the monovalent Oral Polio Vaccine (mOPV) would arrive three days earlier than expected thanks to the intervention of Unicef Copenhagen, which expedited the consignment.”The arrival allows the Government more time for planning the positioning and distribution of vaccines,” Matjila said.Shangula said an official handover ceremony was planned for later today.He said all patients at the Katutura State Hospital were stable and that the children among them were energetic.”It is quite encouraging.The children are playing around,” he said.On Sunday, Health Minister Dr Richard Kamwi said South Africa and Botswana were ready to send medical personnel to Namibia to help with a nationwide polio vaccination campaign that starts on June 21.Local health institutions have stopped administering the trivalent Oral Polio Vaccine (tOPV) after being requested to do so by Government. Shangula said tOPV was only for children under five years and reduced the immune response to the right mOPV.The first round of the State-sponsored drive to immunise every Namibian against polio will take place for three days starting from June 21.The second round has been set for July 18 to 20 and the third round, which will only include children under the age of five years, is scheduled for August 20 to 24.Round three will include polio and measles vaccinations as well as vitamin A supplementation.The first polio case arrived at Windhoek’s Katutura Hospital from Aranos in the south on May 10.Shangula said they had decided to immunise every Namibian because those so far infected were mostly older than 14 years.He said anyone who experienced polio symptoms should immediately go to their nearest health institution for treatment.