Six million polio vaccines arrive in Yemen [Archives:2005/844/Local News]

Six million doses of polio vaccines procured by United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) will arrive in Sana'a on Friday morning, 20/05/05 for use in the second phase of the nationwide National Immunization Days scheduled to start from May 30 to immunise all of the country's children under the age of five years. The forthcoming round of NIDs has assumed special urgency in view of the reported polio cases. As part of the efforts to accelerate vaccination of children against polio, UNICEF has firmed up a comprehensive programme of social mobilization in conjunction with the National Health Education centre. The focus of the social mobilization campaign is on mobilization of media support and active involvement of schools, mosques, local councils, community leaders and artists to get the message across to the largest audience.

Outbreak control response put together by Ministry of Health in collaboration with partners includes special campaigns are being launched on media and also community based mobilization to counter the major setback being faced by Yemen after more than four years of ” no polio cases”” that threatens the hopes to eradicate polio. Yemen is the most recent of the 15 polio-free countries that have reported cases of polio. UNICEF Representative in Yemen