Following 61 confirmed positive poliovirus laboratory tests, Ethiopia launches a nationwide polio vaccination campaign with the nOPV2 vaccine targeting over 17 million under-five children to help check the possible dissemination of all forms of poliovirus.
According to the information from the Ministry of Health, The campaign will be conducted in all regions of the country within the period of 22-25 October 2021.
Vaccinators will move from house to house for this campaign, and will also use temporary camps for internally displaced people (IDP camps) and transit areas.
The campaign was officially launched on Oct 22 in the presence of Dr. Dereje Duguma, State Minister of Health in Dilla town of Gedo Zone.
The vaccine is dispensed orally, and health professionals and parents are cautioned to take the necessary precautions for Covid -19 during the campaign. All health workers participating in the campaign will wear masks and strictly observe the COVID-19 SOPs to ensure children are safely vaccinated.
Though the incidence of polio is reduced by 99.9 percent globally, rare positive cases are reported in some countries with low immunization, and other forms of the virus continue to circulate.
