Zambia Ready To Vaccinate Over One Million Children Against Polio In This Year's Sub- National Immunisation Days

23 July 2002, Lusaka -- Zambia is prepared to vaccinate over one million children under five years of age against Polio in the two rounds of Sub-National Immunization Days which have been scheduled to take place from 24th to 28th July and 29th August to 2nd September respectively. In addition to the Polio Vaccination, the children will also receive Vitamin A Supplementation in the second round. The Democratic Republic of Congo and Angola will be conducting the Polio campaign during the same period. The Synchronisation of the exercise between the three countries will facilitate cross border immunisation .

The Ministry of Health has received financial and technical support for the Polio vaccination campaign through the Central Board of Health from the World Health Organization (WHO), the United Nations Children's Emergency Fund (UNICEF), the Centres for Diseases Control (CDC) and the Netherlands Government. The support to the Government is for immunization activities, logistics, epidemiological surveillance, social mobilization and training of the vaccination teams. In addition to this support, the General Manager for British Airways, Central Africa region, Mr. Raul Burbano, announced on June 24 that British Airways made a donation of four hundred and sixty thousand pounds to the Government, through UNICEF for purchase of vaccines for this year's polio campaign. The donation was made possible through BA's 'Change for Good` programme.

The immunisation campaign will be conducted in 38 selected districts in only 6 out of the 9 provinces in the country namely, Central, Copperbelt, Luapula Northern, North-Western and Western. The provinces and districts are mainly those that are situated on the boarders with the Democratic Republic of Congo and Angola. Due to instability as a result of armed conflicts the Wild PolioVirus is still present in Angola. In the DRC many children have not been vaccinated against the disease and the danger of transmission of the Virus across the borders is still very high. The districts which are hosting refugee camps will also participate in the exercise.

This year's Sub-National Immunisation Days exercise is expected to reach more children because the proactive " House to House" strategy will be used by the vaccination teams who will move from door to door to ensure that each and every child is vaccinated. Thousands of volunteers have been mobilized to participate in the Polio immunisation exercise as vaccinators, supervisors and mobilizers under the close supervision of the District Health authorities. The teams will vaccinate children in urban and rural areas, boarder areas and refugee camps.

The last indigenous case of polio in Zambia was in 1995. Since 1996 Zambia has conducted the annual exercise of National Immunisation Days, and Sub-National Immunisation Days since 1999 to date. However, in 2001, 3 cases of Wild Polio Virus were virologically confirmed Amongst Angolan refugees in Western Zambia. As per WHO recommendation that a high quality mop-up vaccination exercise be conducted once a case of polio is reported in a country, WHO and UNICEF funded the immunisation exercise which took place in March and April respectively. The three cases of polio were quickly identified in Western Province as the result of the improved and highly sensitive epidemiological surveillance system for Acute Flaccid Paralysis in the country.

The Polio eradication partners in the country are committed to see Zambia attain the Global Goals of the Polio Eradication Initiative whose target is the eradication of Polio by the year 2002 and Certification of the world as Polio Free by the year 2005. The 3 cases of polio reported in Western Zambia are an indication that the country is still under the danger of the disease, therefore more support will be provided to the Government for supplemental inmmunisation activities especially in high risk boarder areas, improvement of the routine immunisation system and for epidemiological surveillance.

For more details please contact:

Central Board of Health
Dr. Jonathan Munkombwe, The CBOH Spokesperson,
Ndeke House, Longacres, Lusaka.
Tel: 260-1-253179

WHO
Nora Mweemba, Health Information and Promotion Officer
UN Annex Building, Plot 4609, Corner of Beit/Andrew Mwenya Roads
Rhodespark, Lusaka.
Tel: 260-1- 255322/255336, 255398,
E-mail: nmweemba [at] who.org.zm

UNICEF
Edita Nsubuga, UNICEF Communication, 
Tel. 260-1- 252 055, 
E-mail: ensubuga [at] unicef.org
Eugenia Temba, UNICEF Communication, 
Tel. 260-1- 252 055, 
E-mail: etemba [at] unicef.org
UN Building, Alick Nkata Road, Lusaka.