Seven million Afghan children under
the age of five will be vaccinated against polio in a three-day campaign,
starting
on 5 September, marking another crucial stage in the country’s
efforts to eradicate the crippling disease.
The campaign, which is led by Afghanistan’s Ministry of Public
Health with support from UNICEF and the World
Health Organization (WHO),
gets underway as health officials confirms a total of four cases of the
disease
being
reported
in 2005,
the same number as identified last year. The localised nature of the
cases – all have been discovered in the southern border provinces – indicate
that Afghanistan is winning the battle against the indigenous virus thanks
to a massive drive that has seen millions of children vaccinated each
year in every community in the country.
The September campaign will utilise the skills of 40,000 people, working
in more than 16,000 teams of vaccinators and monitors. The vaccination
teams will move from house to house in every community, in an effort
to ensure that all children are reached over the three day period from
5 to 7 September. Afghanistan’s rough terrain, and the fact that
many small children remain within the household compounds throughout
the day, makes access to families a challenge – the work of the
mobile vaccination teams is therefore a critical aspect of the campaign
approach.
One important group of advocates for polio immunization in Afghanistan
is made up of the nation’s religious leaders, who traditionally
inform families of forthcoming vaccination campaigns through Friday worship.
This year their information messages will incorporate a new element – the
Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, destination for millions of Muslims making their ‘haj’ or
holy pilgrimage to Mecca, has announced that all pilgrims under the age
of 15 must have received polio vaccine before they can enter the country.
While the four National Immunization Day campaigns held each year are
an important defence against the spread of polio, health experts believe
that investment in routine immunization – the systematic immunization
of children as part of ongoing health care programmes – is essential
to ensure complete eradication. Afghanistan’s routine immunization
levels average just 66 per cent; well below the global standard of 80
per cent of children. The Ministry of Public Health held a major multi-partner
conference earlier in 2005 that won commitments from key health partners
to develop nationwide integrated health care, including routine immunization.
One key partner in the Afghan polio eradication campaign is Rotary International
which, through the Polio Plus initiative, has been actively involved
in immunization and polio eradication since 1985. Through the initiative,
Rotary clubs and individual Rotarians voluntarily dedicate themselves
to a polio-free world. Rotary International official Mr. Abdul Haiy Khan,
recently visited Kabul to provide guidance and support to the country’s
re-emerging Rotary Clubs, which in most countries play an active role
in immunization campaigns, with members working as vaccinators and social
mobilizers.
“ As Afghanistan finds it place once more on the world stage,
the role of national Rotary Clubs will become increasingly important
in helping
the country to tackle some of its major health and social challenges,” said
Mr. Khan. “I find it heartening that in a country devastated
by so much conflict and upheaval there is a growing desire within civil
society to play its part in helping the nation to rebuild and that Rotary
is once more establishing its presence in Afghanistan.”
In addition to Rotary International, Afghanistan’s National Immunization
Days receive financial assistance from a number of international donors,
including the Governments of Japan, the United Kingdom and the United
States.
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was first published by UNICEF on 1st
September 2005. For further information, please visit their
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