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BAGHDAD, 12 October 2015 -- A nationwide campaign to vaccinate 5.8 million children in Iraq against polio was concluded on the 11th of Oct this year after a two day extension recommended by the Ministry of health for maximum vaccination coverage. This effort to ensure that Iraq remains polio free also included the distribution of life-saving information on how to detect, prevent and treat cholera to 1.5 million households across the country.
Led by the Federal Ministry of Health, in coordination with WHO and UNICEF, the seven-day polio vaccination campaign begun on 4 October included nearly 13,000 vaccination teams deployed throughout Iraq. Each team traveled door-to-door, visiting individual households to vaccinate children against polio. The current campaign is the 11th such national effort in Iraq since October 2013, when polio was first detected in neighboring Syria, and the fourth this year alone.
“WHO is supporting the campaign through a provision of technical expertise at national, regional, and sub-national levels in high risk areas,” said Altaf Musani, Acting WHO Representative in Iraq. “Our support also includes the financial assistance for polio campaign workers and finger-markers as well as conducting surveillance activities, which is the only scientific tool to prove that polio is constrained in Iraq” he added.
Based on preliminary field reports from the campaign, the immunization activities are being implemented smoothly. However, security constraints in parts of Ninewa, Al Shergat district in Sala El Din, and parts of Kirkuk are compromising access to all children in these areas.
“UNICEF and partners have taken an innovative approach to the double threat of disease facing children and families in Iraq,” said Peter Hawkins, UNICEF’s Representative in Iraq. “In the context of mass displacement and continuing violence, the humanitarian community has succeeded in administering 36 million doses of oral polio vaccine, doubling the country’s cold chain capacity. Converging existing activities can help the very limited resources make a greater impact, and ultimately save more lives.”
In May 2015, Iraq was removed from the list of infected countries, a landmark achievement made through the continued support of WHO and UNICEF to the Federal and Kurdistan Region Ministries of Health. Although Iraq has not reported a polio case since April 2014, it remains on the list of countries vulnerable to importation due to difficult access for about 20% of its population.
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For more information, please contact:
Ms Ajyal Sultany, Communications Officer | World Health Organization, Iraq Country Office| sultanya@who.int | +964 7510 101 469
Ms. Rosane Lopes, Communications Officer| World Health Organization, Iraq Country Office | lopesr@who.int | +964 7809 288 614
Mr. Jeffrey Bates, Chief of Communications| UNICEF Iraq | jbates@unicef.org | +964 780 196 4524
Mr. Karim Elkorany, Communications Specialist| UNICEF Iraq | kelkorany@unicef.org | +964 780 925 8542