As part of efforts in kicking polio out of Liberia, the Ministry of Health is expected to kick-off the first round of the polio immunization campaign for 2019 across the Country.
Making the disclosure at an advocacy meeting held with Community leader, youth representative, media representative, religious leaders, MOE representative and stakeholders at the C.H. Rennie Hospital over the weekend, the County Health Promoter of Margibi, Roseline Clarke said the campaign which will last for four days will run from May 10-13, 2019.
Madam Clarke narrated that this round of the immunization campaign will be an integrated one.
“Since 2019, this is round one of the polio campaigns and this polio campaign is going to be integrated; when I say integrated it is going to have other vaccines along with the polio vaccine” she stated.
According to her, Vitamin ‘A’ and mebendazole will be given to the children indicating that children between the ages of 0-month to 59-months (below 5-years) will be immunized.
She then averred that there will be mobilizers in the field for seven (7) days beginning May 6-12, 2019 informing people about the campaign while there will be public announcements and Town Criers in hard to reach areas announcing about the campaign as well as the media.
For his part, the Community Health Director of Margibi County James T. Varnie said this is the last round of kicking polio out of Liberia thereby urging all Liberians to take advantage of the upcoming campaign. He revealed that the campaign is very important in that it will avoid the children from contracting polio and make Liberia a polio-free Country.
Mr. Varney meanwhile disclosed that Margibi County has the targeted numbers of 44,884 children to be immunized by the team. When asked if his team will reach the target numbers within the four days set aside for the campaign, Mr. Varney said they will reach their target because they already have structures in the various communities.
“For every Community in this County we have people who are representing the Ministry of Health so we have a structure in place, the only thing we will tell people; this trip is Liberian driven and we are graduating from dependent to independent stage” he expressed.
He noted that there are community based-structures including Community Health Assistant, Community Health Volunteers and other individuals that will be trained to administer the vaccine.
The Margibi County Community Health Director is, therefore, encouraging all Stakeholders to be part of the campaign by mobilizing and sensitizing the communities on the importance of polio adding,
‘we know that the polio campaign was here before and it’s here, this is the end of polio; we try to end it so Liberia can be certificated in the World that we are Nation with polio-free’.
He also called on all community members and religious organizations among others to get involved in informing others about the importance of the campaign so as to accept it as it has a significant role to play in the lives of the children.
