Talatona - The Secretary of State for Public Health, Carlos Alberto Pinto de Sousa, reaffirmed, today, in Luanda, the Government's commitment to the ongoing fight against polio, as well as its commitment to children's health and the future of the nation.
The government official expressed this commitment from the Angolan Executive during the launch of the third phase of the National Polio Vaccination Campaign, highlighting that the goal is to vaccinate at least 95 percent of children in each municipality in the country.
To this end, he said 14,000 vaccination teams and 51,455 agents were available, including mobilizers, vaccinators, registrars, coordinators and supervisors.
He explained that the third round was preceded by others that allowed coverage to be reached above 95%, the result of collective effort, but despite this, the aim is to reach more children in the country, to stop the circulation of the polio virus.
'For this reason, it is important that people realize the importance of vaccination against polio,' he highlighted.
According to the Secretary of State for Public Health, the house-to-house vaccine strategy has proven to be effective for vaccines to reach children who need them most, especially those who live in areas that are difficult to access.
Carlos Alberto Pinto de Sousa appealed to parents and guardians to receive vaccinators for the success of the process, considering routine vaccination the basis for children's health.
'Before a child completes the first year of life, it is important to comply with the routine vaccination schedule to avoid polio, measles and other diseases.
In turn, the United Nations representative in Angola, Zahira Virani, said that polio significantly harms children's performance, limiting their freedom of movement and attending school and other activities.
She said that the challenge is to make Angola polio-free, having lamented the fact that the country is facing an outbreak of polio, imported from neighboring countries.
Zahira Virani reported that 16 cases of the polio virus were confirmed this year in six provinces of the country (Luanda, Huambo, Lunda-Norte, Lunda-Sul, Moxico and Benguela).
'To combat the disease, two campaigns against polio have already been carried out in the country this year, as the effort is for all children to be vaccinated, aiming for their protection', she concluded. VS/MDS/DOJ
