Let’s Join Hands in Fighting Against Polio Paralysis [Archives:1999/43/Health]

Yasser M. Ahmad
Yemen Times
Peoples’ progress and development in the world can be felt through the services and facilities available for the citizens. One of the most basic services that must be available to everyone in the society is the health services. Peoples can take the responsibility of building their own countries if and only if they are strong and healthy. A sick and weak generation can never build a country.
From this point of view, Yemen has been always trying to give more attention to its rising generation by providing them with health services that can help them enjoy better health.
Yesterday marked the inauguration of the national immunization days for eradicating polio paralysis which will continue for 4 days. More than 119,000 volunteers have been chosen for this task and more than 75,000,000 potions have been made available to immunize children against infantile paralysis. The campaign is intended to immunize more than 3,000,000 children under 5 years. Unfortunately, there are still some people in the countryside who, due to negligence and carelessness do not understand the importance of immunization. The educated sector is required at this juncture to do its best in order to make everybody understand the great importance of immunization. The Ministry of Education’s offices in the whole Republic should also play an important role in this regard.

Parties’ role
In the whole world, political parties have adopted health promotion programs to make health services accessible to everyone in the society as well as to raise the people’s awareness about the importance of availing themselves any medical facilities available. Such parties encourage its members to encourage people participate in activities that aim at serving the society. In our country, the situation is just the opposite. Parties in our country do not care for the people’s health. In my opinion, if these parties adopted certain kinds of health promotion programs including campaigns to raise the people’s awareness about diseases, they would do their people a valuable service. Yemeni parties haven’t paid even the slightest attention to immunization campaigns. Not even a single word concerning this issue has been written in their newspapers.
As journalists, it is our main job to do our best to cover the immunization campaigns in order to help the major vulnerable sector in the society, namely children.
Studies have showed that in 2010 the ratio of poverty will reach the population of 4.7 million, and the children deprived of balanced nutrition will be 30%. The situation might even be worse if children are not paid any attention. Now the whole world is engaged in uprooting diseases and providing a secure future for their children. Any carelessness will result in regrettable consequences. So, are we ready to help make this campaign a success?

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