BUJUMBURA, October 28th (ABP) – Burundi joined other countries around the world on Thursday, October 24, 2024, to celebrate World Polio Day, under the theme, “Towards the eradication of polio in Africa”.
On that occasion, the Ministry of Public Health and the Fight against AIDS issued a statement to not only remind us of the path to be taken in the fight against this devastating disease, but also an opportunity to renew its commitment to the eradication of polio.
The Acting Permanent Secretary at the Ministry in charge of Public Health, Mr. Pascal Ndayongeje, indicated in his speech that polio is a viral disease that can lead to paralysis and death.
Thanks to global vaccination efforts, he added, the number of cases has been reduced plastically but the disease is not yet eradicated.
In 2006, Ndayongeje said, Burundi was declared a wild poliovirus example country. But a case of polio was discovered in 2023, in the health districts of Isare in Bujumbura province. With the support of partners of the Global Polio Eradication Initiative and other development partners, the Ministry of Public Health and the Fight against AIDS launched a vaccination campaign against this disease. With vaccination coverage of 98%, the latter was crowned with success, Mr. Ndayongeje said.
He also noted that this intervention made it possible to cut short with the transmission of poliovirus and allowed the country to report no cases of poliovirus for about ten years, whether in humans or in environmental surveillance. To maintain this status as a poliovirus example country, Ndayongeje said, it is imperative to prioritize the strengthening of measures in response to adequate vaccination coverage. To achieve this, he called on the Burundian population and all stakeholders to combine their efforts to achieve the goal of 95% vaccination coverage nationwide, in order to prevent the emergence of new epidemics.
The interim permanent secretary at the Ministry of Public Health and the Fight against AIDS asked state institutions, non-governmental organizations, the media, health professionals and each citizen to promote vaccination, by ensuring that all children receive the necessary vaccines to protect themselves against polio.
According to him, it is also necessary to raise awareness among the population through the sharing of information on the importance of vaccination and means of prevention, to support local initiatives, by participating in the vaccination campaign and supporting surveillance efforts to detect the disease, he stressed. Before concluding his remarks, he urged all parents or guardians of children to vaccinate their children according to the current routine vaccination schedule, which suggests that parents should vaccinate their children from birth, to one and a half months, two and a half months, three and a half months, nine months and one and a half years. “Together we can achieve a polio-free world, because every action counts and every voice can make a difference,” he concluded.