Live
Audio Only
"The first round of vaccination in July was highly successful, with about 2.9 million children vaccinated; we expect that all children who received the first dose will be vaccinated with the second dose," Sibomana said in an official statement in Kigali, the capital of Rwanda.
On Monday, the Rwandan Ministry of Health launched a nationwide vaccination exercise for the second dose of oral polio vaccine for children under seven years old.
Related:
According to Hassan Sibomana, head of the vaccination unit at the Rwanda Biomedical Center, the ministry's health implementing agency, the vaccination will last until Friday, targeting to reach all children in the age bracket.
"The first round of vaccination in July was highly successful, with about 2.9 million children vaccinated; we expect that all children who received the first dose will be vaccinated with the second dose," Sibomana said in an official statement in Kigali, the capital of Rwanda.
Furthermore, Sibomana also said the second dose of the oral polio vaccine will be delivered by community health workers to homesteads, adding that routine vaccination will continue at health facilities after the mass vaccination.
Round two of the #Polio vaccination campaign got underway today in #Rwanda.
— UNICEF Rwanda (@unicefrw) September 11, 2023
UNICEF's Chief of Health & Nutrition @BattleDae checks in from @KarongiDistr as the drive to ensure the safety of almost three million children against the debilitating & life-threatening disease resumes pic.twitter.com/KfVxi02AUw
The latest vaccination campaign in Rwanda was launched following reports of polio outbreaks in neighboring countries; the last polio case in Rwanda was reported three decades ago.
Polio, which invades the nervous system, is a highly infectious disease that can result in paralysis. It particularly attacks children under five years of age. The virus is transmitted by person-to-person spread, mainly through the fecal-oral route.
Newsletter
