Baghdad, Iraq, 25 October 2016 – On World Polio Day the Ministry of Health with support from UNICEF and the World Health Organization (WHO) launched a weeklong nationwide campaign to immunize Iraq’s children against polio.
Under the slogan “two drops can change a life,” the 5-day campaign aims to reach an estimated 5.8 million children under the age of 5 in Iraq, regardless of previous vaccination status.
Polio is a highly infectious viral disease that attacks the nervous system. Children under 5 years of age are the most vulnerable to the disease, but timely immunization can prevent infection.
“The Government of Iraq is committed to polio eradication, and conducted 16 campaigns to that end in 2014 and 2015 as part of the Middle East polio outbreak response,” said UNICEF Representative in Iraq Peter Hawkins.
Since April 2014, no new polio cases have been reported in Iraq, thanks to the Government’s strong commitment and the hard work of frontline workers. In May 2015, Iraq was removed from the list of infected countries.
However, the risks of a resurgence persist due to possible surveillance and immunization coverage gaps among Iraq’s displaced populations as well as those living in inaccessible areas and informal settlements.
“There is still a risk of polio returning to Iraq,” said WHO Representative to Iraq, Altaf Musani. “Polio transmission is ongoing in Pakistan and Afghanistan and new cases of polio have also been confirmed in Nigeria,” he said. ”Until transmission is stopped globally, we need to maintain high levels of vaccination coverage and keep surveillance systems strong, to be on the alert for the virus,” he added.
The Iraq Polio partnership conducted 2 national immunization rounds in February and April this year, reaching over 91% of the targeted population.
This month’s vaccination campaign will be conducted by the Iraqi Ministry of Health (with support from WHO and UNICEF, with special attention to the most vulnerable children in internally displaced persons (IDPs) and Syrian refugee camps, informal settlements, host affected communities and newly retaken areas. More than 25 000 vaccinators will go from house to house during the campaign, visiting families.
WHO will cover the operational cost, intra and post campaign monitoring, while UNICEF will provide support for focused social mobilization services. In coordination with the Federal Ministry of Health, the Kurdistan Regional Government Ministry of Health, Zain and Korek Telecommunications Company will contribute into social mobilization and communications campaign with a focus on IDPs.
About WHO
Our goal is to build a better, healthier future for people all over the world. Working through offices in more than 150 countries, WHO staff work side by side with governments and other partners to ensure the highest attainable level of health for all people to combat diseases – infectious diseases like influenza and HIV and noncommunicable ones like cancer and heart disease. We help mothers and children survive and thrive so they can look forward to a healthy old age. We ensure the safety of the air people breathe, the food they eat, the water they drink – and the medicines and vaccines they need.
About UNICEF
UNICEF promotes the rights and wellbeing of every child, in everything we do. Together with our partners, we work in 190 countries and territories to translate that commitment into practical action, focusing special effort on reaching the most vulnerable and excluded children, to the benefit of all children, everywhere. For more information about UNICEF and its work visit: www.unicef.org.
For more information, please contact:
Ajyal Sultany
Communications Officer
WHO, Iraq
+974 7510101469
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Sharon Behn Nogueira
Chief of Communications
UNICEF Iraq
+964 (0) 782 782 0238
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Baghdad, Iraq, 25 October 2016 – On World Polio Day the Ministry of Health with support from UNICEF and the World Health Organization (WHO) launched a weeklong nationwide campaign to immunize Iraq’s children against polio.
Under the slogan “two drops can change a life,” the 5-day campaign aims to reach an estimated 5.8 million children under the age of 5 in Iraq, regardless of previous vaccination status.
Polio is a highly infectious viral disease that attacks the nervous system. Children under 5 years of age are the most vulnerable to the disease, but timely immunization can prevent infection.
“The Government of Iraq is committed to polio eradication, and conducted 16 campaigns to that end in 2014 and 2015 as part of the Middle East polio outbreak response,” said UNICEF Representative in Iraq Peter Hawkins.
Since April 2014, no new polio cases have been reported in Iraq, thanks to the Government’s strong commitment and the hard work of frontline workers. In May 2015, Iraq was removed from the list of infected countries.
However, the risks of a resurgence persist due to possible surveillance and immunization coverage gaps among Iraq’s displaced populations as well as those living in inaccessible areas and informal settlements.
“There is still a risk of polio returning to Iraq,” said WHO Representative to Iraq, Altaf Musani. “Polio transmission is ongoing in Pakistan and Afghanistan and new cases of polio have also been confirmed in Nigeria,” he said. ”Until transmission is stopped globally, we need to maintain high levels of vaccination coverage and keep surveillance systems strong, to be on the alert for the virus,” he added.
The Iraq Polio partnership conducted 2 national immunization rounds in February and April this year, reaching over 91% of the targeted population.
This month’s vaccination campaign will be conducted by the Iraqi Ministry of Health (with support from WHO and UNICEF, with special attention to the most vulnerable children in internally displaced persons (IDPs) and Syrian refugee camps, informal settlements, host affected communities and newly retaken areas. More than 25 000 vaccinators will go from house to house during the campaign, visiting families.
WHO will cover the operational cost, intra and post campaign monitoring, while UNICEF will provide support for focused social mobilization services. In coordination with the Federal Ministry of Health, the Kurdistan Regional Government Ministry of Health, Zain and Korek Telecommunications Company will contribute into social mobilization and communications campaign with a focus on IDPs.
About WHO
Our goal is to build a better, healthier future for people all over the world. Working through offices in more than 150 countries, WHO staff work side by side with governments and other partners to ensure the highest attainable level of health for all people to combat diseases – infectious diseases like influenza and HIV and noncommunicable ones like cancer and heart disease. We help mothers and children survive and thrive so they can look forward to a healthy old age. We ensure the safety of the air people breathe, the food they eat, the water they drink – and the medicines and vaccines they need.
About UNICEF
UNICEF promotes the rights and wellbeing of every child, in everything we do. Together with our partners, we work in 190 countries and territories to translate that commitment into practical action, focusing special effort on reaching the most vulnerable and excluded children, to the benefit of all children, everywhere. For more information about UNICEF and its work visit: www.unicef.org.
For more information, please contact:
Ajyal Sultany
Communications Officer
WHO, Iraq
+974 7510101469
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Sharon Behn Nogueira
Chief of Communications
UNICEF Iraq
+964 (0) 782 782 0238
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
