Unicef to back round two polio fight

The United Nations Children’s Fund Unicef has procured 998,000 doses of oral polio vaccines to support round 2 of the polio campaign from the 20th to 27th of this month.
Unicef chief of health programme Dr Monjur Hossain yesterday said the second round of the polio supplementary immunisation will start on the 20th in Morobe, Madang and Eastern Highlands.
Hossain said six new provinces in the Highlands (Enga, Hela, Chimbu, Jiwaka, Western and Southern Highlands) will also be included.
“The vaccines arrived on Tuesday, and we are supporting the distribution of the vaccines to the nine provinces to provide vital protection against polio for more than 700,000 children,” said Hossain.
Five vaccine refrigerators will be placed in Hela to support vaccine handling and storage by Unicef to assess the cold chain readiness in the six provinces. Hossain is appealing to families to take children under five for vaccinatioon.