Polio round two impresses Health officials

HEALTH authorities have expressed satisfaction with the number of people who turned out for polio vaccination on the first day on Tuesday.

“It went very well. Perhaps not what we have been fearing,” said Permanent Secretary Dr Kalumbi Shangula.He said excellent preparations ensured that the long queues that characterised the first round had been eliminated.”We increased the vaccination points and made sure that teams had sufficient polio vaccine.As a result, people move in and out fast.You can say the first day was a smooth operation,” Shangula told The Namibian.He said because of the fast pace of the vaccination, it may not appear as if the campaign was successful.However, by the end of the first day Khomas, with an estimated population of 269 831, had 212 270 people vaccinated.In the Karas Region, 78 per cent or 57 370 people, received their two drops of Monovalent Type One Oral Poliomyelitis (mOPV) vaccine on the first day, while the Erongo Region counted 90 746.Teams in the Otjozondjupa Region vaccinated over 100 000 people on the first day while the Kavango Region had 94 120, Kunene over 26 000 and Oshikoto more than 84 000.The lowest turn out was the Omusati region with 118 506.The region has an estimated population of 275 000 people.Shangula still urged everyone in the country to go for the two drops.The second round ends at 21h00 tonight and Government wants to vaccinate at least 95 per cent of everyone in the country.The third round is only for children under the age of five and will be held from August 20 to 24.On Tuesday Shangula warned that everyone, including those who received the vaccine in the first round, should get the drops.He said those who do not get a follow-up vaccination have only a 50 per cent chance of fighting off the disease.He warned against complacency and emphasised that the target was to eliminate the disease from the whole of Namibia.Unless everyone is vaccinated, there is always a risk that an outbreak will reoccur.Perhaps not what we have been fearing,” said Permanent Secretary Dr Kalumbi Shangula.He said excellent preparations ensured that the long queues that characterised the first round had been eliminated.”We increased the vaccination points and made sure that teams had sufficient polio vaccine.As a result, people move in and out fast.You can say the first day was a smooth operation,” Shangula told The Namibian.He said because of the fast pace of the vaccination, it may not appear as if the campaign was successful.However, by the end of the first day Khomas, with an estimated population of 269 831, had 212 270 people vaccinated.In the Karas Region, 78 per cent or 57 370 people, received their two drops of Monovalent Type One Oral Poliomyelitis (mOPV) vaccine on the first day, while the Erongo Region counted 90 746.Teams in the Otjozondjupa Region vaccinated over 100 000 people on the first day while the Kavango Region had 94 120, Kunene over 26 000 and Oshikoto more than 84 000.The lowest turn out was the Omusati region with 118 506.The region has an estimated population of 275 000 people.Shangula still urged everyone in the country to go for the two drops.The second round ends at 21h00 tonight and Government wants to vaccinate at least 95 per cent of everyone in the country.The third round is only for children under the age of five and will be held from August 20 to 24.On Tuesday Shangula warned that everyone, including those who received the vaccine in the first round, should get the drops.He said those who do not get a follow-up vaccination have only a 50 per cent chance of fighting off the disease.He warned against complacency and emphasised that the target was to eliminate the disease from the whole of Namibia.Unless everyone is vaccinated, there is always a risk that an outbreak will reoccur.