A four day campaign to vaccinate children against polio started in South Sudan’s Wau State on Monday.
Polio is one of the six childhood diseases that are prevented by the vaccination. It is a highly infectious viral disease, which mainly affects young children.
Regina Gabriel Gok, a deputy director at the state ministry of health, said that the campaign will include all counties of the state, pointing out that it is a routine campaign.
The government official noted that children aged five years and below are targeted in the vaccination campaign.
James Ibrahim, Minister of Health in the state, urged parents to bring their children for vaccination because the doses are very important for children’s health.
“The vaccine does not cause any problem to children, so all parents should not refuse to have their children vaccinated,” he said.
The state minister said that the campaign is being carried out by the state government in collaboration with its international partners.
Meanwhile, several local residents in Wau town urged parents to have their children vaccinated against polio.