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Ending polio in Somalia: children vaccinated in national immunization day

Storyline:National News

GOOBJOOG NEWS|BENADIR: On 6 June 2022, the Somali government led by the Mayor of Mogadishu Omar Mohamed Filish in coordination with the UN and WHO, officially launched the national immunization day for polio in Somalia.

The national immunization day was officially launched in Manahijta and Waberi health centres in Banadir city, where hundreds of children were  vaccinated against the disease.

The ongoing immunization campaign for polio is targeting close to 3.5 million children under 5 in the country, except Puntland and Somaliland. The first round of the  campaign against polio was held in March and close to 95% of the 3.5 million children under 5 received an oral polio vaccine during the first round.  

Somalia has remained free from circulation of wild polio virus since 2015. However, the country was affected by another type of polio virus called circulating vaccine-derived polio virus type 2 (cVDPV2) that has continued to circulate in Somalia since 2017 causing paralysis and disability to a number of children in the country. 

The transmission of this new type of polio virus is entrenched in the central and southern parts of Somalia, with spillover resulting in cross- border transmission in northern Somalia, Kenya and Ethiopia.

“The outbreak of polio caused by vaccine-derived type 2 and type 3 viruses has led to permanent paralysis and disability to 32 children so far. This means that these children cannot run, walk or play as they should be able to. It also means that 26 families have been going through immense suffering – both socially and financially,” said Mr Adam Abdelmoula,  after vaccinating the children against polio and formally opening the national immunization day for polio.  

“Ending polio in Somalia and the rest of the world is a moral imperative for us. We aim for every child being born today to lead a healthy life and have equal access to health services. In this interconnected and globalized world, the threat of polio in one country is a threat everywhere,” added Abdelmoula.  

Dr Sk Md Mamunur Rahman Malik, WHO Representative in Somalia said, “we are hopeful that the country will be able to defeat this virus and the debilitating disease it causes by working together and making sure we use speed and precision to vaccinate all children targeted for such campaigns against polio and measles.”

Polio is a highly infectious disease caused by a virus that mainly affects children under the age of 5. It invades the nervous system and can cause paralysis or even death. While there is no cure for polio, vaccination is the only effective way to protect children from the crippling disease