According to the Ministry of Health in Tanzania, more than three million children will be vaccinated against polio as authorities attempt to curb the spread of the crippling infectious disease following its resurgence after seven years.
The ministry’s statement on Friday disclosed that the vaccination campaign will take place from the 21st to the 24th of September in the regions of Rukwa, Katavi, Mbeya, Kagera, Songwe, and Kigoma.
In the course of the four-day campaign, 5,291 health service providers will be deployed in the regions, with each team consisting of three service providers. Vaccination services will be provided at healthcare facilities, through door-to-door visits, in schools, and in a variety of public gathering places, including houses of worship.
According to the WHO, polio is a highly contagious disease, mostly affecting young children, that attacks the nervous system and can result in spinal and respiratory paralysis.
Tanzania’s health minister, Ummy Mwalimu, informed reporters that the government decided to start the vaccine campaign after receiving troubling information on May 26, 2023. The unexpected paralysis of a youngster who was one year and eleven months old necessitated rapid action.
Laboratory findings revealed that the child from the Sumbawanga Municipality had polio. In response, the government declared the beginning of a special campaign for all kids under the age of eight to receive the nOPV2 droplet vaccine against polio.
According to the statement, this initiative aims to shield more than 3.2 kids born after 2016 from the Type 2 poliovirus, which can result in permanent disability.
Mwalimu emphasized the need for guardians and parents to work with medical professionals to ensure that their children obtain immunization, highlighting the saying “prevention is better than cure.”
Cases in nearby nations including Burundi, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and Zambia have been connected to the reappearance of polio in Tanzania. This condition increases the risk of contracting the polio virus, especially in areas that are immediately next to these countries.
However, in November 2015, the World Health Organization proclaimed Tanzania polio-free but the current comeback, highlights the persistent difficulties in eradicating this debilitating illness, calling for a quick and thorough immunization effort.