By: Alieu Ceesay
The Gambia officially launched a nationwide campaign to immunize children against poliovirus. The campaign targets children from birth to 59 months of age. The initiative commenced at the Edward Francis Small Teaching Hospital in Banjul, where health officials gathered to emphasize the importance of vaccination in preventing polio outbreaks.
The campaign aims to reach every child nationwide, ensuring that families are informed about the vaccine’s benefits and critical role in safeguarding public health. Through this effort, health authorities are committed to eradicating polio and protecting the community’s youngest members.
The campaign is led by the Ministry of Health and supported by the World Health Organization (WHO) and UNICEF. The vaccination aims to combat the variant poliovirus confirmed by health experts across eight counties.
The campaign will be implemented nationwide with support from the Ministry of Health, who will visit homes to vaccinate children aged 0-5 years.
During the official launch, First Lady Fatou Bah-Barrow Madam urged parents to ensure their children were vaccinated.
“I am pleading to both mothers and fathers, especially to fathers: whenever the wife is busy with other house choirs, please take your child to the hospital. Let’s all contribute to the welfare of children.”
According to health experts, poliovirus cases can occur when the weakened live virus in the oral polio vaccine spreads among people who are not fully immunized. This form of the virus can cause paralysis. Multiple vaccine doses will protect against both wild and Vaccine-Derived Polio Viruses.
Dr. Lamin Samateh, the Health Minister of the Gambia, said there are no polio patients in the country. He noted that his WHO officials have identified the virus in sewage samples in critical places like Banjul, Kotu, and other waterlogging communities.
“It is not that we have seen patients with polio in the country, but because of the robot surveillance mechanics we have in this country, our team has collaborated with WHO, UNICEF, and other partners have been able to identify the various in sewage samples in Banjul, Fajikunda, Tallinding and in Kotu when that was identified the assumption is it could have come from human being for it to be in the sewage whether those human being are resident in Gambia or they transited to the Gambia we certainly do not now.”
Ndey Sophy’s daughter has already received her polio vaccine. She shared that early prevention is better than cure ï. She came here so that my child can be vaccinated to prevent her from various diseases so that she can have good health.”
The health office emphasized that when a child misses his/her vaccination, he/she can be taken to the nearest hospital to administer the vaccines.
Approximately 426481 children are anticipated to receive vaccinations during the campaign period. The polio vaccine will be available for the second round until December 15, 2024.
