Malawi is targeting to reach out to 9,728, 350 children under 15 years, representing 95 percent of the population in the upcoming Polio Immunization campaign from next week.
The exercise will run from 13th to 16th September 2023
Deputy Director for preventive health services Dr. Mike Chisema made the remarks in Mponela on Friday during a media briefing.
Chisema, who is also National Manager for Expanded Programme on immunization said polio vaccine is very important to children as it protects them against paralysis.
He said the exercise is the only mainstay strategy in managing polio disease because once an individual has been diagnosed with the virus and paralysis starts then the effects are non-reversal
UNICEF Malawi representative Dr Ibrahim Karim called on the media to be on the forefront mobilizing parents and guardians to make sure that all the children are vaccinated.
“I believe that the media can play a critical role of changing people’s mindset and myths on the vaccines as most part of the population are of the view that there has been too much vaccines lately which might affect their children hence resisting the vaccine,” said Karim.
Door To Door Campaign
On Friday, the Lilongwe District Health Office (DHO) engaged social mobilisers who are going door to door to interact with parents and caregivers prior to the 2023 second round of polio vaccination campaign in order to clear myths and misconceptions surrounding the vaccine.
Lilongwe DHO, which registered one polio case of a three-year-old in February, 2022, will conduct the campaign from 13th to 16th September, 2023 using a door-to-door approach targeting 1.4 million children aged zero to 15 years.
Lilongwe DHO Public Relations Officer, Richard Mvula said during a media interaction in Lilongwe on Friday that engaging stakeholders in the campaign is important for them to understand the intervention.
He expressed concern that every time a new intervention is introduced there are misconceptions which affect its administration hence the need for awareness through engaging those involved.
“We are engaging parents. All parents have the best interest of their children at heart but because, maybe, some of them are not aware what the program or intervention is all about they tend to shun it. So, we are trying to interact with them so that they understand and take part.
“We are also engaging school committees and teachers because the age band falls in schools. We are doing this so that everyone understands the intervention. Government is taking this intervention to the community not for sinister motives but to protect all children in this age band,” he said.
One of the participants, Perina Wahara who works for PLFM expressed gratitude for for the interaction saying the information shared will go a long way in sensitising the communities on the importance of the vaccine.
In July, 2023 Ministry of Health launched a campaign to vaccinate nine million children aged 15 and below.
Additional Reporting By Patricia Kapulula
