Zahedan University of Medical Sciences Launches First Polio Vaccination Campaign in February and March 2021
A five-day sub-national polio immunization campaign started from 13 February 2021 where drops will be administered to children of less than 5 years of age to keep the disease at bay, despite the ongoing COVID-19 epidemic. The campaign has been planned to vaccinate over 450 thousand children under the age of five living in Sistan and Balouchestan Province.
Report from: Zahedan University of Medical Sciences, Vice Chancellery for Health
Published on: 17 February 2021
- Polio immunization drive will last for one week and aims to vaccinate over 450 thousand children under the age of five living in Sistan and Balouchestan Province
- More than 2800 healthcare workers and community health volunteers teams to take part in the campaign adhering to strict COVID-19 precautionary measures
Islamic Republic of Iran achieved the status of a polio-free country two decades ago; the last case was detected in Chabahar district, southeast of Iran in 2000. Pakistan and Afghanistan are the only two polio-endemic countries in the world, both of them neighbouring Sistan and Balouchetsan Province.
As efforts to eradicate polio are intensified, declining immunity against polio in populations in certain areas of these two countries continue to be one of the biggest challenges.The pause in vaccinations caused by the COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated existing disruptions to routine immunization activities caused by active conflict and bans on polio campaigns in some parts of Afghanistan and Pakistan.
Given the fact that Sistan and Balouchestan Province has a long common border with Pakistan and Afghanistan, two polio-endemic countries in the world, it is imperative that all children under 5 years of age in this province, whether previously immunized or not, receive 2 drops of oral polio vaccine on an annual basis to prevent the circulation of the wild and vaccine-derived polio viruses in the region.
A five-day sub-national polio immunization campaign started from 13 February 2021 where drops will be administered to children of less than 5 years of age to keep the disease at bay, despite the ongoing COVID-19 epidemic. The campaign has been planned to vaccinate over 450 thousand children under the age of five living in Sistan and Balouchestan Province.
The campaign will be conducted in 2 rounds through house-to-house visits by more than 2800 vaccination teams, including healthcare workers and Community Health Volunteers. This year the first and second round of vaccination campaign will involve the use of monovalent type 2 polio vaccines.
Vaccinating every child through multiple doses of the polio vaccine is the only way to stop the poliovirus currently in circulation in neighbouring countries.
The polio immunization drive has been held in accordance with Covid-19 protocols - the healthcare staff adhering to strict COVID-19 precautionary measures and protocols. These measures include wearing a mask, using hand sanitizer, delivering vaccine through the ‘no-touch" method and maintaining a safe distance during the vaccination.The frontline workers have been striving to defy the devastating impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and have been safely implementing a high-quality campaign.
Copyright © 2021 Zahedan University of Medical Sciences. All rights reserved. Date updated: 17/02/2021
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