The provincial coordination of the Expanded Program on Immunization (EPI) has announced a vaccination campaign targeting approximately 2 million children against polio in the 34 health zones of Nord-Kivu province, in eastern DRC.
Following a meeting with the Military Governor of Nord-Kivu, Dr. Stéphane Batey, coordinator of the Expanded Program on Immunization, clarified that the new campaign will run from August 10 to 12, 2023, and will target children aged 0 to 5 years.
“This meeting was a high-level coordination committee meeting chaired by the Military Governor for the preparation of the campaign which will start from August 10 to 12. We are going to vaccinate approximately 2 million children in the 34 zones of the province, 647 health areas where we have mobilized the population and teams are working hard to count the children, pre-mark the children so they can benefit from this vaccination,” he explained.
This new campaign also affects areas occupied by M23 rebels, despite the alarming situation in the territories of Rutshuru, Nyiragongo, and Masisi. Since August 3, medical teams have been deployed in over 600 health areas to count the children eligible for this vaccination. Thus, he calls for the mobilization of the population for the success of this campaign.
“We have made a high-level advocacy with structures and providers in unlimited access zones so that children are protected. We ask the population to take ownership of this vaccination since polio continues to be experienced in our country. We are in the phase of eradication,” he continued.
Polio is a highly contagious disease caused by a virus called poliovirus by experts. This disease invades the nervous system and can cause irreversible paralysis within a few hours. Since the 1960s, this disease can be prevented by effective vaccines, according to the World Health Organization (WHO).
Magloire Tsongo, in Goma
