Poliomyelitis : Vaccination Campaign Targets Close to 1.5 Million Children
A polio vaccination campaign for children aged 0-59 months will take place in Cameroon from Friday November 4 to Sunday November 6, 2022.
A recent press release signed by the Public Health minister, Dr. Manaouda Malachie states that the vaccination campaign has also been organized to permit children aged 0-23 months who missed a dose of the polio vaccine to catch up.
It is the third round of the national polio vaccination campaign. Although the country maintains its wild polio -free status, public health authorities say they want to combat the type 2 poliovirus circulating in the subregion .
The campaign targets a total of 1, 446 440 children in four regions of the country ; East, Far North, Littoral and West Regions.
During the two-day campaign, mobile vaccination agents will administer 2 drops of the oral polio vaccine to children in 42 health districts of these regions. They are: Four Health districts in the East region ; Batouri, Betaré-Oya, Garoua-Boulai, and Ketté.
Six health districts in the Far North region ; Fotokol, Goulfey, Kousseri, Mada, Makary, Moulvoudaye.
Nineteen health districts in the Littoral Region; Bangue, Boko, Bonassama, Cité-des Palmiers , Deido, Dibombari, Edea, Japoma, Logbaba, Loum, Mbanga, Melong, Ndom, New Bell, Ngambe, Njombe-Penja, Nkongsamba, Nylon and Pouma.
Thirteen health districts in the West region; Bafang, Bamendjo, Bandjoun, Bangangte, Bangourain, Dschang, Foumban, Foumbot, kouoptamo, Mbouda, Mifi, Penka-Michel and Santchou.
Vaccines will be administered in health facilities, homes, markets, schools, churches, mosques and other public places.
The World Health Organisation, defines Polio as “a highly infectious disease caused by a virus.” It adds: “It invades the nervous system and can cause total paralysis in a matter of hours. The virus is transmitted by person-to-person spread mainly through the faecal-oral route or, less frequently, by a common vehicle (for example, contaminated water or food) and multiplies in the intestine.”
The disease is known to cause permanent paralysis in children, but the vaccine can prevent a child for life.
The Public Health Minister has made a clarion call for parents to let their children be vaccinated against the disease.
Kathy Neba Sina
