Three-country polio campaign starts

PARENTS in Namibia, Angola and DRC are being urged to take children under the age of five for polio immunisation.

Health Minister Richard Kamwi on Monday launched the synchronised cross-border vaccination campaign being run by the three countries. The launch at Helao Nafidi in the Ohangwena Region was attended by senior health officials from the Democratic Republic of Congo and Angola and representatives of Unicef and the World Health Organisation.Kamwi said he was pleased that Namibia had been selected as the host country for the first simultaneous cross-border immunisation campaign in southern Africa.During the first round of the campaign – from today until Friday – children younger than five will receive polio vaccine drops and Vitamin A supplements.The second round will be from July 25 to 27, when all children will receive a follow-up dose of polio vaccine.Kamwi said in spite of major achievements in immunisation, it is clear that infections such as poliomyelitis and other childhood diseases are still a threat in Africa.Namibia experienced a polio outbreak last year after having been polio free for 10 years.”There is no cure for polio.At the same time, the polio virus knows no boundaries.It doesn’t need passports to cross borders, therefore eradicating polio is everyone’s business, and without global eradication, polio can always make a comeback,” Kamwi said.”Our synchronised immunisation activity this and next month is truly historic.As we vaccinate our children across a huge area of Africa situated between the Orange River in the south and beyond the Congo River in the north in our three countries of Namibia, Angola and DRC, we will truly be making history,” he said.The launch at Helao Nafidi in the Ohangwena Region was attended by senior health officials from the Democratic Republic of Congo and Angola and representatives of Unicef and the World Health Organisation.Kamwi said he was pleased that Namibia had been selected as the host country for the first simultaneous cross-border immunisation campaign in southern Africa.During the first round of the campaign – from today until Friday – children younger than five will receive polio vaccine drops and Vitamin A supplements.The second round will be from July 25 to 27, when all children will receive a follow-up dose of polio vaccine.Kamwi said in spite of major achievements in immunisation, it is clear that infections such as poliomyelitis and other childhood diseases are still a threat in Africa.Namibia experienced a polio outbreak last year after having been polio free for 10 years.”There is no cure for polio.At the same time, the polio virus knows no boundaries.It doesn’t need passports to cross borders, therefore eradicating polio is everyone’s business, and without global eradication, polio can always make a comeback,” Kamwi said.”Our synchronised immunisation activity this and next month is truly historic.As we vaccinate our children across a huge area of Africa situated between the Orange River in the south and beyond the Congo River in the north in our three countries of Namibia, Angola and DRC, we will truly be making history,” he said.