Malawi to conduct 4th round of polio campaign

Malawi will conduct a fourth round of its polio vaccination campaign, targeting over 7 million children under the age of 10, scheduled for 21 to 24 July.

Secretary for Health and Sanitation Dr Dan Namarika disclosed this during a stakeholders and media webinar, saying the campaign will ensure all children receive their vaccination to protect them against polio.

“We want to ensure no child is left behind in this campaign. We believe that a child left is a threat to the community,” Namarika said.

He added that the campaign will also cover children who have fled to Malawi from South Africa due to xenophobic attacks, and encouraged parents and guardians to bring their children forward once the campaign begins, assuring them that the vaccine is safe.

World Health Organization (WHO) Country Representative Charles Kuria Njuguna said the organisation remains committed to supporting Malawi’s vaccination campaigns.

“The multiple vaccine intervention is believed to be effective as it will boost the immunity of children,” he said.

In his presentation, Programme Manager for Immunisation Dr Mike Chisema said good progress has been made despite a few challenges.

He said the third round of the campaign had targeted 6.7 million children but ultimately reached over 7 million.

“This shows that the campaign was of high quality,” he said.

Chisema, however, flagged Mulanje and Thyolo as districts that recorded a high percentage of unvaccinated children in the previous round, noting that both would require improvement during the fourth round.