By Sainabou Gassama
The Gambian First Lady Fatoumatta Bah-Barrow has led the launching of a polio immunisation campaign aimed at reaching out to all the children below five (5) years of age across the country.
Madam Fatoumata Bah-Barrow said: “since the Minister of Health declared an outbreak of polio in the country on the 18th August, 2021, preparations have been made to launch the program as part of their resolve to protect all the children in the country.
“The countrywide vaccination coverage is the surest way to guarantee the protection against the Polio Virus. Therefore, National Immunization Days Against Polio will be held from 20th to 23rd November 2021. Remember the Immunization saves lives, and for that reason, the Gambia government under the leadership of His Excellency Adama Barrow, the president of the republic remains committed towards eradication of polio as envisage by the Global Polio Eradication Initiative,” she added.
Dr Dester Willy a WHO representative said: “we are to immunize the high-risk group of children under five 5 years of age to stop the transmission of the virus.”
“Polio is a highly infection disease caused by a virus and it invades the nervous system and can cause total paralysis in a matter of hours. The virus is transmitted by person to person, spread mainly through the facial-oral route or less frequently, contaminated water or food,” he added.
According to him, one in 200 infections leads to irreversible paralysis (usually in the legs) among these paralysis, 5% to 10% die when their breathing muscles become immobilized.
Dr Mustapha Bittaye, Director of Health Services, said the last laboratory confirmed case of paralytic Polio in the country was in 1986, adding that, The Gambia was accorded Polio free-status in 2004 by the WHO and in 2020, the whole African regions was declared polio free.
“This has been made possible by maintaining high routine of immunization coverage roves surveillance system and implementation of several rounds of supplementary immunization activities over the past few decades,” he said.