Nationwide polio campaign kicks-off Saturday

The Gambia will tomorrow Saturday join 18 other countries in West and Central Africa to embark on National Immunisation Campaign.

Speaking at a press briefing organised by the Health and Social Welfare Ministry in Banjul on Wednesday, the Deputy Permanent Secretary for administration at the Ministry, Alh. Omar Taal said "this is a synchronised activity, spearheaded by the World Health Organisation with support from UNICEF and Rotary International in order to help break the wild polio virus chain of transmission in anticipation for the global eradication initiatives."

According to him, the first round will start from 6th - 9th March 2010 and the second round from 24th - 27th April 2010.

Mr. Taal said the key surveillance and immunisation coverage indicators have been very good for the past years. This, he added, is as a result of the high immunisation coverage the country has achieved over the years.

Also speaking at the press briefing, Mrs. Yamundow Lowe-Jallow, the Programme Manager for Expanded Programme on Imminisation at the Ministry said the campaign would target children from 0-5. She revealed that 381,134 children will be vaccinated during the polio campaign in the country, adding that it is meant to supplement the routine immunisation programme. He noted that children must be vaccinated even if they had completed their routine vaccination shuedule.

She stated that vaccination teams have been deployed across the country to carry out the exercise. She then called on the public to cooperate with the vaccinators to ensure a successfully campaign.