Keep Sudan
polio-free campaign
As
part of the global initiative to eradicate polio, the Federal
Ministry of Health of the Government of Sudan (FMoH) and the
Ministry of Health of the Government of Southern Sudan (MoH), in
collaboration with the World Health Organization (WHO) conducted 5
rounds of a national polio immunization campaign in 2007 and 1
sub-national immunization round. The campaign was conducted in
close partnership with the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF),
Rotary International and CDC Atlanta. The campaign’s coverage
results in 2007 showed that 8,910,641 children under the age of 5
years giving around 99% of the targeted population were
vaccinated/immunized across Sudan.
The challenge to
keep Sudan polio-free is enormous. The country was free from the
endemic polio virus from April 2001 until May 2004 when a case of
poliovirus imported from neighbouring Chad led to an outbreak. The
outbreak spread and resulted in 155 cases, ending in June 2005.
Sudan has remained polio-free despite of the re-importation of the
wild poliovirus in September 2007 of which the sole case in South
Darfur was genetically linked to the virus circulating in Chad. No
other case was reported in the period up to the end of December
2007.
To reach communities
in a country as geographically vast as Sudan and to access
populations living in conflict-affected populations, WHO worked
closely with partners to raise awareness within communities,
coordinate and mobilize health personnel to carry out large-scale
immunization activities.
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House to house immunization strategy.
Vaccination teams were requested to access every community,
every household, and every child aged under the age of five.
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Media’s role in the campaign.
Throughout the campaign, media has played an essential role in
highlighting polio as a priority for every family in Sudan.
Sudan’s local media (including print, radio and television)
played a crucial role in announcing immunization events,
building momentum and maintaining interest and reporting
results. WHO actively collaborated with UNICEF, FMoH and MoH in
releasing joint media statements, organizing press conferences,
coordinating media field trips and ensuring distribution of
posters and flyers.
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Vitamin A supplement. Campaign
days were used as opportunity to provide vitamin A supplements
twice a year. Through this step, the under-five mortality rate
amongst children is expected to be reduced by 20%.
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Accessing rebel-controlled areas.
Ensuring access to rebel-controlled areas owing to ongoing
insecurity has been one of the main constraints experienced
within the campaign. With strong coordination between UN
agencies and local groups, children in areas such as Jebel Marra
in West Darfur which was inaccessible for 3 whole years were
immunized in 2007.
Sudan’s drive to eradicate polio has been one of the most successful
health stories in Africa in recent years. WHO, FMoH, MOH and other
health partners are maintaining a strong commitment to write the
final chapter of the story and making polio part of the country’s
history.
