National Immunisation Days: South West targets vaccination of 287,088 children against type 2 polio.

The variant was declared eradicated in 2015, but since 2016, two cases were reported and moved to 1,071 cases in 22 countries in 2022. Some 893 cases were confirmed in 28 countries in 2023, and 291 in 2024. 

Health officials unveiled the information on Saturday 19 October 2024. This was during a media briefing ahead of the campaign in the region. 

The briefing brought together media professionals, bloggers, and social media influencers who are expected to carry the message to the masses.

The upsurge affected countries of the Lake Chad Basin, including Cameroon and the Sahel countries, with two cases recorded in 2016, 177 cases in 2023, and 48 cases in week 33 of 2024 in the said countries. 

In 2019, the first four variant polio type 2 cases were isolated in Cameroon, since then, cases have been recorded every year, 16 in 2020, 04 in 2021, 03 in 2022, and 13 in 2023 with more than 95% of these variant poliovirus type 2 genetically linked to those detected in other countries in the Lake Chad Basin.

Since the beginning of 2024, poliovirus type 2 cases have been recorded in Ndélélé and Batouri in the East Region. The response will target children aged 0-59 months, including refugees and nomads. 

The total target is 6,721,142 for Round 1 and 3,523,013 for Round 2 nationally. In the South West Region, 287,088 children in 19 health districts are targeted.

In her opening remarks, Martha Ngoe, Head of the Unit for Surveillance, Monitoring, and Evaluation at the Expanded Programme for Immunisation, EPI, in South West Region, representing the Coordinator of EPI, said the goal of the vaccination campaign was to strengthen herd immunity in children under five years of age against poliovirus type 2. 

She this will be achieved by vaccinating all children in thie age group with the Oral Polio Vaccine type 2 (nOPV2), thus stopping its circulation.

The first round of the campaign will occur in all 202 Health Districts across the 10 regions in October, while the second round will occur in 73 Health Districts in four regions (Adamawa, East, North, and Far North) in November 2024. 

Both rounds of the national response campaign for nOPV2 will include efforts to catch up on routine vaccinations for all children aged 0-59 months who missed their routine vaccines to enhance vaccination coverage. 

These other interventions include Maternal and Child Health and Nutrition Action Week, MCHNAW, for vitamin A supplementation and deworming, as well as birth registration in eight Health Districts and intermittent preventive treatment for pregnant women and children under five years old.

During these campaigns, the main vaccination strategies will be door-to-door strategy, fixed strategy in health facilities, and fixed temporal strategy in places of worship, markets, train stations, farms, schools, and other public/gathering places.

Poliomyelitis remains a highly contagious viral disease caused by the poliovirus that is transmitted by consuming contaminated water or food. 

It usually affects children under the age of five who are unvaccinated or under vaccinated but can also affect teens and adults. It results in permanent and irreversible paralysis and is only preventable through vaccination.

To prevent poliomyelitis, experts advise that all children are routinely vaccinated according to the vaccination schedule and during mass campaigns to strengthen their individual and herd immunity. 

Parents and guardians should ensure children wash their hands regularly with clean running water and soap, boil non-potable water before drinking, or use an alternative water treatment method, and wash fruits and vegetables with clean water before eating.

Parents urged to vaccinate children 

Speaking to the press after the briefing session, Martha Ngoe called on all parents and guardians with children within the targeted age groups to ensure their children receive the vital jab. “We encourage parents and guardians to ensure that their children take these vaccines to avoid the very complicated disease that paralyzes children and is without cure and preventable through vaccines,” Ngoe said. 

This article was first published in The Guardian Post Edition No:3268 of Wednesday October 23, 2024