Anjali Sharma
GG News Bureau
UNITED NATIONS, 6th March. UNICEF on Tuesday announced that a mass polio immunization campaign in Yemen has reached over 1.29 million children under five in past 4 days, according to a press release issued in New York
UNICEF, WHO and Yemen Ministry of Public Health and Population in a joint campaign stated that 89 to 100 per cent of the children targeted were reached by the joint campaign.
Peter Hawkins, UNICEF Representative in Yemen said “This is an important step to protect children from deadly childhood diseases”.
“With confirmed cases of polio among Yemeni children, an imminent threat persists. This is an ongoing risk to the life of every unvaccinated child. Health authorities and donors must continue to work together to ensure universal immunization coverage for all children across Yemen”.
WHO Representative, Arturo Pesigan, described the inoculation drive as a major achievement in advancing the health outcomes and well-being of children in Yemen.
“Poliovirus and other childhood diseases can cause permanent disabilities and, in many cases, death. But a small dose of vaccine can provide the necessary protection”, he said.
“There is no reason for children to die of vaccine-preventable diseases. Children are the future, and all investment in their health is an investment in the development of the country”.
The campaign was implemented with the support of the Global Polio Eradication Initiative. Yemen joined more than 35 countries in using the novel oral polio vaccine type 2 (nOPV2), which has been granted WHO prequalification, the release added.
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