Bangladesh vaccinated 22 million children against polio on Saturday, in the second round of a fresh drive against the incurable disease that re-emerged in the country nearly three years ago, health officials said.
The first round of the campaign to immunise all children under 5 was held on Nov. 28, with the assistance of the United Nations Childrens Fund (UNICEF) and the World Health Organisation (WHO).
Bangladesh, declared polio-free in August 2000, has launched several rounds of vaccinations since the disease re-emerged in March 2006, infecting some 18 children across the country until late 2007.
Munshi Jalal Uddin, senior spokesman of the ministry, said Saturday that nearly 600.000 volunteers with field level health officials administered oral polio vaccines to over 24 million children, and vitamin A capsule to 17 million children at some 140.000 sites across the country.
By combining vitamin A supplementation, he said, it will be possible to curb a host of other illnesses that pose threats to the lives of children in the country. Uddin said volunteers and health officials will also visit door-to-door in the next four days to ensure that every child gets vaccinated.
Polio affects mainly children under five and causes paralysis in a matter of hours.
Kilde: www.worldbank.org
