Eastern Equatoria state last Friday launched a mass polio vaccination campaign targeting more than 300,000 children under five years of age.
Authorities say the campaign which is expected to continue for five days, is in response to 15 confirmed cases across the country including Torit county recently.
Eastern Equatoria state Expanded Program on Immunization or EPI manager Mr. Oler Charles Adelino says the campaign will reach all the state's eight counties.
“We were certified as a country free from polio but unfortunately in few a months, there were 15 cases from 5 states confirmed of Polio 2. One case was found in Torit county in Bur Payam, Mutaram village. This is a response to that otherwise it is going to take us back from what we have already achieved but let us fight all of us together mothers, caregivers, community, and the high authority in the government," Oler said.
The state director-general for health Dr. Elijo Omoro Tahir says the campaign should be taken seriously to combat the new polio outbreak in the country. He tasked all county health officials to ensure all children are vaccinated.
“This is a very serious campaign because the nature of the virus is something that has been derived from some of the vaccines that had been used earlier and it is necessary to vaccinate. The reason why this virus came back is many of the children are not reached and if they had started vaccination their vaccination is incomplete," he said.
“I think we all share the blame. We have a weak system and the little we can do is because of the presence of the partners but I think that is not an excuse. We as a ministry of health have to do the best. Am happy vaccinators have been recruited in every single boma I understand and they will be paid for so we require very good work,” he adds.
The Executive Director for Torit county Mr. Solomon Oxon Ocuho says his county will work together and cooperate with the partners to ensure every child is vaccinated.
Last month, the World Health Organisation said that new polio cases recorded in the greater Bahr el Ghazal region were from the vaccine-derived poliovirus 2 (cVDPV2), a mutation of a weakened form of the virus that was administered through vaccination.