By Nasratu Kargbo
A Polio vaccination and campaign for three districts, Western Area Urban, Western Area Rural and Tonkolili targeting children from 0 to 59 months will commence on the 27th to 30th August 2021.
Giving an overview on round three of the exercise, the Child Expanded Programme on Immunization Manager Dr. Tom Sesay explained that the whole African Region is ravaged by polio outbreak that is affecting twenty-three countries, mainly in Sub- Saharan Africa. He said Sierra Leone recorded its first case on the 23th December 2020, explaining that since then the country has continuously recorded cases.
Dr. Sesay said the country recorded the Circulating Vaccine Derived Polio Virus Type Two that is said to circulate from one child to the other and has the power to paralyze a child. Dr Sesay said the country recorded thirty-two cases amongst which twenty-two were detected from cases of acute flaccid paralysis, wherein children manifest signs of weak limb, with the other eight cases detected after samples were drawn from the environment.
As a result of this, the country has embarked on a polio vaccination campaign in order to control the situation. Speaking on the measures put in place, Sesay said the surveillance activities have been activated, incidence management team established and EOC activated to level two, as a way to ensure that all suspected cases are detected, investigated and classified.
The Chief Medical Officer, Rev. Dr. Thomas T. Samba said that Africa has been declared free from the wild polio; but however admitted the emergence of a new variant.
Dr. Samba explained that polio depreciates human dignity and productivity, adding that it is in the country’s best interest to embark on such an effort.
According to Dr. Samba, they have discovered that three districts have not achieved the required coverage standard, thus the need for the third round to eradicate polio in those communities. He also explained that it was as a result of low coverage in the previous campaign and high number of cases recorded in those districts that they could not meet the standard.
During the first round, One Million Five Hundred and Ninety-three Thousand children got vaccinated and in the second round, One Million Six Hundred and Forty-five Thousand.
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