The East New Britain Provincial Health Authority (ENBPHA) has launched a polio immunization campaign, aiming to vaccinate all children under the age of 10 against the poliovirus.
According to Chief Executive Officer Dr. Ako Yap, the campaign is a preventive health measure and its goal is to achieve 95% immunization coverage using the Fractional Inactivated Polio Vaccine (fIPV) as part of an Outbreak Response (OBR) effort.
“This program also targets all eligible, unimmunized, and under-immunized children,” Dr. Yap said.
Director of Public Health, Norman Wakore, appealed to the public not to obstruct vaccination teams.
“With community cooperation, our health teams will be able to reach more children and complete the campaign within schedule,” he said.
“I call on schools, churches, stakeholders, and community leaders to lend their support,” he added.
This appeal was reinforced by Kokopo Urban LLG City Manager, Alkan Mararang, who reaffirmed the government’s support. “I stand with our health team in appealing to everyone to assist and cooperate so that no child is left behind in this vital immunization effort.”
The two-weeks initiative, which runs until 29th October, was officially launched yesterday in Kokopo with the vaccination of five children from Vunamami Elementary School.
The campaign has three core objectives: to protect children from infection, prevent a potential outbreak, and strengthen the province’s routine immunization program. Vaccination teams are already deployed across all four districts to administer the Inactivated Polio Vaccine (IPV).
With the operational details in place, health officials are now calling for full community cooperation to ensure the campaign’s success.
The campaign is supported by the World Health Organization (WHO) and the National Department of Health (NDoH).
