Claim: The Oral Polio Vaccine Campaign has not ended
Verdict: Correct
The City of Bulawayo is participating in the National Oral Polio Vaccine Campaign in conjunction with the Ministry of Health and Child Care (MoHCC), Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education (MoPSE) and other partners.
The first phase of the campaign started on 27 October and ended on 30 October, triggering fears from parents who had not had the opportunity to get their children vaccinated.
However, parents should not be worried as there is another campaign phase which will run from 1 – 4 December.
The campaign targets all children aged between 0 to 59 months (5 years).
Where can one get the vaccine in Bulawayo?
- All municipal clinics
- Central hospitals
- Mater Dei hospital
- Some Private surgeries
- Creches
- Primary schools
- Market places
- Churches
- Bus terminal
- Outreach points and house to house
Why is there a need to get your child vaccinated against polio?
According to the World Health Organisation, polio is a highly infectious viral disease that largely affects children under 5 years of age.
The virus spreads from person to person and can infect a person’s spinal cord, causing paralysis and disability.
It can be transmitted through oral contact with secretions or faecal material from an infected person.
In patients with polio, the muscles in the legs are affected more often than the arm muscles.
In the most severe cases (bulbar polio), poliovirus attacks the motor neurons of the brain stem – reducing breathing capacity and causing difficulty in swallowing and speaking. Without respiratory support, bulbar polio can result in death.
The Polio vaccine produces antibodies in the blood to poliovirus, and in the event of infection, this protects the individual against polio paralysis by preventing the spread of poliovirus to the nervous system.
