ZINDER REGION, Niger, 27 February 2009 In Niger, traditional and religious leaders are at the forefront of communication efforts in the run-up to a synchronized polio vaccination campaign that begins today in West Africa.
The campaign will take place in eight countries: Nigeria, Benin, Burkina Faso, Côte d'Ivoire, Ghana, Mali, Niger and Togo. Two rounds of immunization are scheduled the first from today to 2 March and the second from 27 to 30 March.
More than 3,000 community mobilizers have been making door-to-door visits ahead of the vaccination campaign, to tell families what to expect and ensure that parents will welcome vaccination teams within their homes.
Coordinated in Niger by the Ministry of Health (with UNICEF's support), the World Health Organization and other partners since 1997, the national immunization days will organize distribution of more than 4.7 million oral polio vaccine doses for the first round alone. The aim is to reach more than 4.2 million children up to the age of five.
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