Battle against polio intensifies

Continuous efforts to eradicate wild polio in Cameroon have intensified since the virus was discovered in the East Region in 2013. Ever since, countless vaccination campaigns against poliomyelitis have been carried out all over the country.

Government’s efforts to fight the scourge yielded fruit on March 26, 2015, when Cameroon was declared a non-exporter of the wild polio virus.

Following the good news, countless vaccination campaigns have been carried out to ensure that polio is completely kicked out of Cameroon. One of such campaigns took place in all 24 health districts in the Littoral Region from December 11-13, 2015. The goal was to vaccinate 602,122 children under five years in all 24 health districts in the region. The over 2,500 vaccination agents also administered anti-Tetanus vaccine and malaria treatment to pregnant women.

The Permanent Secretary in the Littoral Governor’s office, Ludovic Ngbwa, led a team to Le Petit Rousseau Nursery School in Bonaberi, Douala, where some 400 kids received doses of the oral polio vaccine and Vitamin A. The kids were also dewormed. Ludovic Ngbwa then moved to nearby homes where he administered the vaccine to other children below five years, gave Vitamin A and dewormed children between six months and five years.

The Permanent Secretary later commented that it was obligatory for parents to have their children vaccinated. Since a non-vaccinated child endangers the lives of many other children, he said if all children were vaccinated, even imported polio viruses will lack fertile ground to settle. He therefore enjoined parents to use the opportunity offered by government to avert the nefarious effects of the virus that does not only paralyse innocent children, but also drains parents financially.