Luena – At least 226,000 children under the age of 5 were vaccinated against polio in the eastern Province of Moxico, with a coverage of 107%, exceeding the target of 95% set by by health authorities.
In this 3rd phase of the polio vaccination campaign, which ran from the 6th to the 8th of the current month, provisional data indicate that the level of coverage was satisfactory, according to the head of the Public Health Department in Moxico, Fernando Decasse.
With the involvement of 1,724 people, including coordinators, supervisors, mobilizers, vaccinators, the municipality of Moxico (provincial headquarters) had the highest coverage rate, with 105,899 children vaccinated, followed by Alto-Zambeze with 35,838 and Luau 31,156.
Léua (7,465), Luacano (5,997) and Luchazes with 3,556 children were the regions with the lowest vaccination rate, taking into account the low population density.
Fernando Decasse recalled that although the 3rd phase of the campaign has ended, the polio vaccination process continues to take place in the province's 150 health units, and appealed to parents and guardians to continue requesting vaccines.
Data from the National Statistics Institute (INE) indicate that 163,888 children under the age of 5 live in the Province of Moxico, and about 95,710 of them live in urban areas, out of a population of 1,024,573 inhabitants.
LTY/TC/YD/CF/jmc
