During the third meeting of the Sub-Committee on Polio Eradication within the work of the 68th session of the WHO Regional Committee for the Eastern Mediterranean Region on October 12, 2021, headed by Egypt and the UAE, the Egyptian Minister of Health, Hala Zayed, announced the launch of the polio eradication strategy for the period 2022-2026.
She stressed that cooperation between Member States, intensifying surveillance of the polio virus, and mobilizing resources and domestic financing to accelerate the response of Member States to stop the transmission of all polio viruses, also noted the significant progress in the use of the new oral polio vaccine.
She referred to the agreement of Member States, during the first meeting, to intensify support in four main areas, which included highlighting polio eradication as a health emergency at the regional level, and called for mobilizing high-level political support and providing financial support, in addition to developing collective measures in public health to be applied throughout the Region, and to support the polio transition.
The second national campaign
And last March, the Egyptian Minister of Health launched the second national campaign for vaccination against polio for Egyptians and non-Egyptians residing in Egypt, from the age of one day to five years.
The campaign aimed to vaccinate 16.7 million children free of charge, and children receive two consecutive doses with the aim of raising societal immunity against polio, by passing through homes to reach all children targeted for vaccination.
Compulsory vaccination
In this context; Consultant of Pediatrics and Newborns, Dr. Hisham Zaazou, said that Egypt is one of the first countries to adopt a system of compulsory vaccination to control polio.
He continued, in exclusive statements to “Sky News Arabia”, that the vaccination went through many stages, the first of which is the oral polio vaccination, and 3 doses were given to newborns at two months, 4 months and 6 months.
He stressed that these stages “resulted in great success in controlling the disease”, in addition to Egypt’s development of vaccination doses, as there was an additional dose at 9 months.
He explained that the vaccination campaigns that targeted Egyptian streets and homes, were targeting in particular those who have not been vaccinated, and to ensure that all children are vaccinated.
Zero dose
Zaazou considered that any child receiving the vaccination, in addition to receiving an additional dose, “does not affect his health in the future,” but described it as a “great benefit”, which contributes to strengthening his immunity.
And based on the recommendations of the World Health Organization and UNICEF, countries that are located in areas close to eradicating polio, must introduce the injection of polio vaccination, in order to increase the immunity of children against the virus.
He added, “The vaccinations themselves have types of strains that are not present in the original vaccinations, which are an addition to the child in strengthening his immunity, and there has been a zero-dose vaccination for polio, other than the four doses, in addition to the booster dose.”
The zero dose of the polio vaccine is given to the child after the first 24 hours of birth, through drops in the mouth.
intramuscular injection
The pediatrician explained that nearly a year ago, Egypt began giving vaccinations by intramuscular injection, which is the world’s latest way to strengthen the child’s immunity against polio.
He described the campaigns implemented by Egypt as “strong”, which is a main reason for controlling the spread of the virus, recalling the campaigns it implemented 10 years ago.
He continues, saying: “Through the campaigns, Egypt succeeded in quickly detecting any cases of flaccid paralysis, or possibilities of polio, by sending medical teams to any suspected case.”
Track new cases
And he continues: “The medical teams were confirming whether the child was infected with polio or not through virus testing, and sensing how the disease reached it. Despite its rarity, they were tracking any possibility, even 1%, that it could cause polio.”
And he added: “After 40 years of my pediatric practice, we can say with full mouth that Egypt is free from the polio virus, especially since in the beginning it caused many complications, and cases that cause deformities or may need surgical intervention. These things have become completely non-existent. “The disease is currently under control in Egypt,” he said.
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