Fourth Anti-Polio Vaccination Campaign Launched

DAMASCUS, (ST)-The Health Ministry on Sunday launched the fourth national anti-polio vaccination campaign targeting children under five. The campaign is due to continue until Thursday.

The ministry and the World Health Organization had agreed to launch six vaccination campaigns to face the risks of possible polio outbreak in the country. Each campaign was set to last five days.

The procedure came after the WHO had confirmed some polio cases in northeast Syria, the first confirmed cases in the country in 14 years. The health ministry blamed foreign-backed terrorists who come to the country to wage so-called “jihad”, for the appeared polio cases.

The first vaccination campaign, which was concluded in December 16^th last year, managed to reach more than 2.1 million kids under five. The biggest number recorded in Deir Ezzour province.

The second campaign, concluded on January 9^th 2014, covered 2.5 million kids, with the biggest number in Hassaka province.

More than 2.7 million children also got vaccinated during the third campaign which concluded on February 6^th.

H. Mustafa