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A campaign to vaccinate 1.5 million children against polio was recently launched in South Sudan in North Africa.
Currently, 15 cases of vaccine-derived polio are confirmed in seven counties in five states, namely Northern Bahr El Ghazal, Western Bahr El Ghazal, Warrap, Lakes, and Eastern Equatoria. The reported cases are children under five who now have irreversible paralysis, the World Health Organization (WHO) announced on November 13, 2020.
As the number of confirmed cases has continued to rise in recent weeks, the campaign targets children in seven states and 45 counties in the first round.
In order to stop the epidemic and prevent further spread, the Ministry of Health of South Sudan has formed an emergency task force composed of WHO, UNICEF and other partners to rapidly make the necessary arrangements for the response, increasing the efforts of surveillance in compliance with basic infection prevention and control measures. .
The only way to stop the spread and prevent more children from contracting the potentially deadly virus is through immunization.
Follow-up campaigns are planned covering multiple states and counties. Before and during the campaigns, social mobilizers will engage communities and key stakeholders to raise awareness of immunization and participation in the campaign.
“We must move quickly to prevent this epidemic from harming more children,” said Health Minister Hon. Elizabeth Achue, in a statement to the press. “I urge all parents to bring their children for polio vaccination, including those who have already been vaccinated. It’s safe to get an extra dose and we want to make sure every child is protected. “
Less than 50 percent of children in South Sudan are immunized against polio and other life-threatening diseases, putting them at risk of permanent disability and death. Widespread displacement and continued population movements, exacerbated by COVID-19 restrictions, have further exacerbated the country’s vaccination coverage and exacerbated the vulnerability of children to poliovirus, especially those in hard-to-reach areas.
“No child anywhere should suffer from polio, a completely preventable disease,” said Dr. Olushayo Olu, WHO representative for South Sudan. “Despite the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and floods that are sweeping much of the country, the campaign offers more opportunities for vulnerable populations to receive critical interventions that could ward off life-threatening diseases such as polio disability.”
On August 25, 2020, South Sudan, along with other African countries, was declared polio-free as there had been no wild poliovirus outbreaks in the country for more than ten years. This milestone was only possible thanks to an effective and safe vaccine and the commitment of parents, other health professionals and health professionals. This commitment must continue to protect every child.
“Immunization is a must and complacency can kill,” said Mohamed Ayoya, UNICEF representative for South Sudan. We need to ensure that all children in South Sudan are given routine vaccinations that include polio vaccine, so that this doesn’t happen again when the epidemic is curbed. There’s a lot of love in every needle prick, that’s how we protect the next generation. “
Although rare, vaccine-derived poliovirus cases can occur when the weakened live virus in the oral polio vaccine passes between underimmunized populations and, over time, changes into a form that can cause paralysis. If a population is adequately immunized with polio vaccines, they will be protected from both wild polio and circulating polioviruses derived from the vaccine.
Currently Angola, Benin, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad, Ivory Coast, Democratic Republic of Congo, Ethiopia, Guinea, Ghana, Mali, Niger, Nigeria, Togo, Zambia and South Sudan are currently experiencing cVDPV2 outbreaks, which can occur in underimmunized communities.
Earlier, on November 12, 2020 the US CDC issued a travel warning, stating: There are vaccine-derived polio outbreaks in many countries in Africa. Although wild polio was eradicated in Africa in 2020, vaccine-derived poliovirus is causing outbreaks in places where vaccination rates are low.
The CDC recommends that before traveling to identified countries, adults who have completed their routine polio vaccine series as children should receive a single lifetime adult booster dose of polio vaccine.
Since 2000, the inactivated polio vaccine is the only polio vaccine that has been administered in the United States, while the oral polio vaccine is offered in other countries.
Vax-Before-Travel publishes research-based travel news.
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