National vaccination campaign launched

Only two drops of polio vaccine were enough to save the life of one child. That is exactly what the Minister of Public Health André Mama Fouda did on Friday September 19, 2041 during the launch of the first phase of the National Vaccination Campaign for the fight against poliomyelitis.

The theme for this year is “Together let’s continue to vaccinate all our children from 0 - 5 years to stop the spread of polio”. The national campaign to fight against polio comes up after five cases were recorded in the country since January this year.

Speaking to the journalists, the Minister André Mama Fouda said the campaign is a commitment taken by the State to eradicate polio in the country. He said the Ministry of Public Health has two main targets for vaccination- schools and markets.

He said the exercise is proof that the eradication of polio is on the good footing in Cameroon. He called on all stakeholders to contrite in the fight toward off polio in the Cameroon.

The Resident Representative of World Health Organisation, Charlotte Faty Ndiaye hailed government efforts in the fight against polio and all the mayors who were able to mobilise the people. She said the day is important because the campaign has been launched and that the minister was there himself to see that all the children were vaccinated. She expressed that whish that all the doors will be opened for to see all children vaccinated.

For this year’s launch vaccination points were created in five markets in health districts in Yaounde. The Minister of Public Health in the company of the Representatives of the World Health Organisation and UNICEF visited the different vaccination points such as Mokolo market, Etoudi, Essos, Ekounou and Mvog-Mbi.

In all the vaccination points the minister and his team administered two drops of polio vaccine to children. It was equally an opportunity for André Mama Fouda to sensitise mothers to vaccinate their children from 0-5 years. After the vaccination marks were placed on the children to facilitate health workers from identifying those who have been vaccinated.

Children from nursery and pre-nursery schools in the different health districts also had the opportunity to be vaccinated by the minister and his team. In all the vaccination points the vaccination team was warmly welcome by the mayors of the different Subdivisions concerned and traditional rulers.

The first phase of the campaign will campaign which kicked off on September 19 will run till September 212, 2014. The second phase will take off on October 31 and end in November 2, 2014.

The same campaign is going on in all the ten regions of the country and in all countries in the Central African Sub region..