By Foday Moriba Conteh
During a well-attended Press Conference held on Tuesday 24th September, 2024 at the Emergency Operation Centre Conference Hall on Wilkinson Road in Freetown for the launch of the third round of the national polio vaccination campaign, Dr. Charles Senessie, Deputy Minister of Health II, speaking on behalf of the Minister of Health, Dr. Austin Demby, emphasized the critical importance of this moment in the fight against polio virus.
Addressing distinguished guests, members of the media and health partners, Dr. Senessie highlighted the ongoing efforts to protect children across the country, particularly in response to the detection of variant type 2 poliovirus in a sewage sample collected from Mabella Sawmill Bridge in March 2024, adding that the discovery prompted immediate action by the Ministry of Health and the National Public Health Agency (NPHA), leading to two rounds of nationwide vaccination campaigns in May and June, which successfully immunized over 1.5 million children under the age of five.
“While we have made significant progress the presence of the polio virus in our environment remains a serious threat,” Dr. Senessie stated. He reaffirmed the Government’s commitment to protecting every child in Sierra Leone from the highly infectious disease, which can cause paralysis and even death in severe cases.
The third round of mass polio vaccinations is scheduled from September 27th to 30th, 2024, across 14 districts in the country, with Western Area districts following from October 11th to 14th, 2024. Dr. Senessie emphasized that this campaign is not only a fight against polio but a broader effort to secure the future health of the nation.
“Our goal is to ensure that every child under five is vaccinated,” he said, urging parents, guardians, community leaders and healthcare workers to remain vigilant and ensure every eligible child receives the vaccine.
Dr. Senessie also expressed gratitude to the healthcare teams and international partners, including the World Health Organization (WHO), UNICEF and GAVI, for their unwavering support in ensuring the success of the campaign.
“Every vaccine administered brings us one step closer to eradicating this disease from our country for good,” he concluded, calling on all citizens to unite in this effort to secure a polio-free future for Sierra Leone’s children.
Professor Foday Sahr, Executive Director of the National Public Health Agency (NPHA), urged the media to emphasize key campaign messages, including the importance of the vaccine, dates and locations of vaccination efforts, and to combat misinformation that could undermine trust in the healthcare system.
Professor Sahr also highlighted the media’s role in bridging geographical and cultural gaps in Sierra Leone, ensuring that even the most remote and underserved communities receive life-saving health information. He noted that targeted programming in local languages and culturally sensitive content can significantly contribute to the campaign’s success.
The Executive Director reaffirmed the NPHA and Ministry of Health’s commitment to supporting the media with timely updates, expert interviews and clear communication materials to ensure that the message of polio prevention reaches all corners of the country.
“Our shared goal is a polio-free Sierra Leone and your role in achieving this goal is invaluable,” he said. “Together, with the support of the media, healthcare workers and communities, we can ensure that no child is left unprotected from this preventable disease.”
Dr. Innocent Nuwagira, the World Health Organization (WHO) Representative to Sierra Leone, praised the Government, health workers and vaccinators for their efforts in successfully conducting the first two rounds of the campaign in May and June this year.
“This success forms the foundation for the third round, ensuring that every child in the country is reached,” Dr. Nuwagira said.
He said that the campaign follows the declaration of a vaccine-derived poliovirus type 2 (cVDPV2) outbreaks in January 2024, when the virus was detected in an environmental sample collected from the Marbella Sawmill Bridge in the Western Area Urban District, adding that since then, 14 additional cases of the same variant have been recorded in four environmental sites across the Western Area Urban and Rural districts.
Dr. Nuwagira announced that the vaccine supply for Sierra Leone has increased from 1.75 million to 2.07 million doses for this round, highlighting the deployment of supervisors to all 16 districts to oversee the preparatory activities and implementation of the campaign. Synchronization meetings with neighboring countries, Liberia and Guinea, have ensured a coordinated approach to vaccination in the sub-region.
The WHO Representative concluded by stating that, “Vaccines work, vaccines are safe and vaccines save lives. Together, we can protect the children of Sierra Leone from preventable disease.”
Dr. Alie H. Wurie, Deputy Chief Medical Officer of the Ministry of Health, stressed that polio remains a significant global health concern, particularly for children under the age of five. Despite considerable progress in reducing cases worldwide, the risk of resurgence continues, making vigilance essential, he highlighted.
“Polio is a crippling and potentially fatal disease, especially for children under five. There is no cure, but it is preventable with a safe and effective vaccine. Through consistent and widespread vaccination, we can eradicate this disease from our communities,” Dr. Wurie stated.
Dr. Alie H Wurie expressed gratitude to healthcare workers, community leaders and international partners for their critical role in ensuring the success of the vaccination campaign, adding that their contributions are essential to safeguarding the health of Sierra Leone’s children.
As the campaign continues, he called on parents and guardians to ensure their children under five receive the polio vaccine and urged community and religious leaders to actively promote the initiative.
“The Ministry of Health and Sanitation, in collaboration with our partners will continue to strengthen the health system and work tirelessly to ensure that Sierra Leone remains polio-free,” Dr. Wurie concluded, emphasizing that collective action can make a polio-free future a reality for the country’s children.
