POLIO ROUND-UP AFGHANISTAN 111.2 Million Doses of Oral Polio Vaccine (OPV) Was Procured & Distributed in 2017
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POLIO ROUND-UP AFGHANISTAN 111.2 million doses of Oral Polio Vaccine (OPV) was procured & distributed in 2017 DECEMBER 2017 Sports stars join forces VIDEO OF THE Join over a million MONTH people, and watch our latest TV advert Click here! with major Afghan stars endorsing and promoting a polio free Afghanistan. Influential football players from the Kandahar is a province where most Afghan Premier League promoted polio cases are found, it is our duty polio eradication in Kandahar – to join hands. I encourage all the the province with largest number families and parents to vaccinate of polio cases in 2017. The their children every time in order players starred in local football to help their children live a happy matches and vaccinated children and polio-free life, become athletes in Kandahar city and Spinboldak, and bring pride to their nation and a high-risk district on the Pakistan family.” border. “I always vaccinate my children, but All players wore uniforms with sometimes there are rumours saying polio eradication messages, Representative joins some districts. Accompanied by health which raised awareness about an the vaccine is not safe. But when officials, the Representative monitored impending vaccination campaign. we see that doctors, Mullah Imams campaign team the quality of the vaccination campaign The players also joined the and sport athletes such as our and directly engaged with female social In December, UNCEF’s Representative vaccination campaign, and went mobilisers and vaccinators. At the heroes from the Premiere League in Afghanistan Adele Khodr joined door-to-door vaccinating children Polio Emergency Operation Centre, and cricket players also come to our the polio campaign team in Jalalabad accompanied by local media. the Representative interacted with house for vaccination, it gives us the and Kunar. Eastern Afghanistan is a provincial partners. She also visited priority region for polio eradication During an interview with a local confidence that the vaccine is safe.” health centres and hospitals to see efforts. There are significant challenges: TV channel, football star Faiz Assadullah, Kandahar resident routine immunisation and nutrition informal borders, continuous mobility, Mohammad Faiz said: “Since activities, and met with the Governor of and chronic inaccessible children in Nangarhar. 1 case in Kunduz polio cases in 2017 training for social mobilisers Our hotline team spoke to 4,585 people chosen at random and in remote areas to verify campaign access and quality. New murals painted in 3 cases in Kandahar Nangarhar To increase public awareness in Kandahar city and the southern border with Pakistan, new murals were painted with polio messages. Community meetings were held with over 30 elders in One mural was painted next to the Khost to explain the importance of polio vaccine. As a result friendship gate at the Afghanistan of the meeting, elders will now accompany social mobilisers and Pakistan border. Shopkeeper and during polio vaccination campaigns. Their influence and local resident Tahir Shah said: “When endorsement will encourage caregivers to vaccinate their I came yesterday I saw a sketch drawn children. on the T wall at the police checkpoint. 9 cases in the Later, it was a painting. The picture South attracts a lot of people as it is the main highway connecting Kabul and Herat. Everyone can understand that TOP HEADLINES IN it is about polio vaccination and its importance.” In total, 190 murals have MEDIA been painted across Afghanistan. Polio vaccination in Shahwalikot now crucial ------------- 357 Polio vaccine now required for Pakistan pieces of national media visa more than last month +228 coverage on polio during ------------ Anti-polio drive kicks off in several December Provinces of Afghanistan 7,588 ICN (information, communication network) members were trained for effective social 7,775 full-time social mobilisers Students join circus mobilisation during the reached families with life-saving A roving circus educates children and parents on the dangers of polio across Afghanistan, vaccination campaign. information about polio. 25% are but this time children were invited to be performers. Fifteen school children from Sofi female. Sahib High School conducted shows in Kandahar city and Spinboldak in parks, football stadiums and other schools. Over 7,000 school children participated in the events, which raised awareness about polio in high-risk areas. cold, and carry on Keep it In 2017 The key to polio eradication is building To ensure adequate storage capacity for high population immunity to polio virus vaccines, the government and UNICEF infection through routine immunisation as continuously monitor the availability of 111.2 million doses of oral polio well as through supplementary immunisation relevant cold chain equipment in the country. vaccine activities. UNICEF is the lead agency for This is done through a quarterly update of procuring, supplying and managing vaccine cold chain inventories to make sure that the logistics in polio-affected countries. availability and utilisation of the cold chain 91,480 ice packs system is effective. UNICEF’s role in vaccine supply includes 5,732 vaccine carriers providing technical support to national To improve skills and knowledge for vaccine governments, local authorities and partners management, 222 regional and provincial 2,222 cold boxes to forecast supply, procure vaccines and cold cold chain personnel were also trained in chain equipment, manage in-country vaccine 2017. freezers stocks and strengthen logistics to ensure 99 that vaccines are maintained at optimum temperature. procured & distributed THE BRAVE CAMPAIGNERS It’s before 7AM in Jalalabad, eastern Moursal is responsible for overseeing more colleague of Moursal. “Two nights ago there access to the Internet enables people Afghanistan, and Moursal, 23, stands behind than 120 households. In total, across the was a motorbike bomb nearby and it blew to spread rumours about polio being a an iron gate. She hops nimbly over piles of Nangarhar area, a cluster of campaign some of our windows out.” But one of the conspiracy invented by hostile western raw sewage dredged from the roadside. A teams vaccinate over 17,000 children. The greatest obstacles for the vaccination team is countries.“If the people are not educated short walk away she joins her team to begin virus is so serious that a single case of polio often the families themselves. they can believe this.” their mission for the day. constitutes an outbreak. In the last two years over 300,000 Afghans To tackle refusals, UNICEF is supporting Moursal and her colleagues are Afghanistan’s Ideally, the family consents to vaccinate have been forced or coerced to return from the deployment of specialist follow-up polio campaigners, tasked with the colossal all children under five years old and Pakistan, where many had lived for decades. teams comprised of professional doctor, job of vaccinating thousands of children provides details to help build a database of The majority of these people are poor, Islamic religious leaders and polio survivors and educating adults in a bid to eradicate the information to ensure no child misses the undocumented, vulnerable and funneled who address misconceptions. virus. This team are on day two of a week- vaccine. But, it’s not so simple. into the country through Nangarhar and long campaign funded and supported by Jalalabad. In Jalalabad, polio campaigners Back in town, Moursal and Noorzia are UNICEF. Remote and rugged, Nangarhar and its such as Noorzia and Moursal find taking a tea break in one of their homes. neighbouring provinces have been a haven themselves increasingly visiting families who I ask why they take such great risks just to “First we have culture barriers in for non-state armed groups moving back have spent time in Pakistan. work. Afghanistan,” says Moursal via a translator. and forth across the porous Pakistan/ “Many people do not want to see a Afghanistan border since the start of “We see many refusal families for different Moursal laughs. “I want to support my woman working or alone in the street. Afghanistan’s current war. reasons,” says Moursal. “Many are returnees family … I do not fear death. I will sacrifice But for vaccinating children we must visit with religious views which say that the myself to help my country and these every house, and only women can enter a “This insecurity we face every day and it is vaccination is forbidden and there is very children.” stranger’s house.” getting worse,” says Noorzia, 27, a campaign much fear of it..” She says that increased with thanks to.