First polio vaccination campaign conducted in Bardhere since 2009

At least 23,000 children under the age of five in Bardhere district and 40 surrounding settlements have been vaccinated against polio for the first time in seven years according to WHO.
Mohamed Ali of the UN’s World Health Organization said the immunisation campaign reached from all areas surrounding Bardhere district.
The program was funded and supervised by WHO and UNICEF. It involved 180 vaccination workers over a four day period.
Goobjoog’s Gedo region correspondent says this was the first time since 2009 such a campaign was conducted in Bardheere.
He said awareness campaigns had encouraged parents to present their children for vaccination, but many still believed vaccinations could have negative effects and hid their children.
Transmission of the wild poliovirus has also never been stopped in many parts of the world but African countries are still wrestling with it.
In Somalia, progress has been made over the last few years to stem the spread of the virus.
The focus for the government and all of the polio partners has shifted to missed children. Vaccinators have gained access to areas that have been out of reach for years.