Afrigather 
Juba, 27 February 2024 – Right this moment, South Sudan launched a nationwide polio marketing campaign aiming at vaccinating 3.1 million kids utilizing the novel oral polio vaccine kind 2.
The novel oral polio vaccine kind 2 has been designed to offer secure and dependable safety towards poliovirus and is genetically extra steady than the earlier oral polio vaccine varieties. Which means that it has the potential to be a game-changer in stopping new outbreaks of kind 2 circulating variant-polio viruses (cVDPV2).
At the moment, three variant poliovirus circumstances have been confirmed in three of the ten states of South Sudan: Western Equatoria, Central Equatoria, and Higher Nile. The reported circumstances are kids below 5 years of age. In contrast to earlier poliovirus outbreaks, the affected kids haven’t acquired polio vaccinations.
To halt the outbreak and stop its additional unfold, the Ministry of Well being, with help from WHO, UNICEF, and different companions, has established an emergency response activity pressure to coordinate the response, whereas rising surveillance efforts. The marketing campaign will goal all kids below 5 years of age in all of the ten states and the three administrative areas of the nation. At the moment, social mobilizers are partaking the communities and key stakeholders to extend consciousness of immunization and participation within the week-long marketing campaign.
“We have to act shortly to forestall this outbreak from inflicting hurt to extra kids,” stated Hon. Awut Deng Acuil, Minister of Normal Training and Instruction/ Representing the Minister of Well being, “to make this vaccination marketing campaign a hit, I want to urge all mother and father, caregivers, households, non secular teams, and communities to make sure that all kids below the age of 5 years are vaccinated towards polio throughout this marketing campaign, any little one missed through the marketing campaign is taken into account a danger for future outbreaks that my ministry doesn’t want to see once more.”
In South Sudan, it’s estimated that 33% of the youngsters haven’t acquired vaccination towards poliovirus kind 2. The nation’s immunization protection has been impacted by inhabitants actions and displacement, making it more durable to succeed in the youngsters who want vaccinations probably the most.
“Polio, a preventable illness, mustn’t afflict any little one wherever,” stated Dr Humphrey Karamagi, WHO Consultant for South Sudan. “Due to the beneficiant funding from the International Polio Eradication Initiative (GPEI) partnership, the marketing campaign offers a extra vital alternative for susceptible populations to obtain essential interventions that would avert life-threatening illnesses, corresponding to poliomyelitis-induced incapacity.”
“This nationwide marketing campaign marks a pivotal second in our continued efforts to fight polio in South Sudan. By leveraging the vaccine, designed for enhanced efficacy towards poliovirus, we are able to fortify our defenses and curtail the unfold of viruses. UNICEF stays dedicated to bolstering immunization methods alongside our devoted well being companions and the Ministry of Well being, making certain equitable entry to vaccination for all kids and safeguarding communities towards the specter of polio,” stated Hamida Lasseko, UNICEF South Sudan Consultant.
About circulating variant poliovirus kind 2 (cVDPV2)
Circulating Variant Poliovirus Kind 2 circumstances can happen when the weakened dwell virus within the oral polio vaccine spreads amongst people who find themselves not immunized and later mutates. This type of the virus could cause paralysis. To stop this, all kids should get the oral polio vaccine every time it’s supplied. Getting a number of doses of the vaccine will shield towards each wild and circulating variant polioviruses.
At the moment, paralytic polio infections are being reported in a number of African international locations, together with Angola, Benin, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad, Côte d’Ivoire, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ethiopia, Guinea, Ghana, Mali, Niger, Nigeria, Togo, Zambia and South Sudan.
For extra data, please contact:
Ministry of Well being: Peter Kon, +211 926 488 330, peterkonthil [at] gmail.com
WHO: Jemila M. Ebrahim, +211 921 647 859, ebrahimj [at] who.int
UNICEF: Garang Abraham Malak, +211 922 583 372, gdiit [at] unicef.org
