4.3 million children to be vaccinated against polio in Madagascar

A total of 4.3 million children from 0 to 59 months will be vaccinated against polio in Madagascar during a six-day-campaign held from Monday to Saturday, a statement from Madagascar’s Ministry of Health said.

The campaign is held in 112 districts of the country thanks to 3.5 billion ariary (1.2 million U.S. dollars) donated by Madagascar’s technical and financial partners including, the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), the UN World Health Organization (WHO), the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) , the Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunization (GAVI), Rotary and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
Madagascar’s government and its financial and technical partners decided to organize this campaign because the number of Malagasy children aged 12-23 months who received all necessary vaccinations dropped from 61.6 percent in 2008 to 51.1 percent in 2012.
About 44,000 children die every year in Madagascar, that is to say that 120 children die every day before their fifth birthday, data from the Ministry of Health said.
Madagascar’s President Hery Rajaonarimampianina, the Prime Minister Jean Ravelonarivo, the Minister of Health Pr Mamy Lalatiana Andriamanarivo and resident representative of Madagascar’ s partners attended the kick-off of the campaign in eastern city of Mananjary on Monday. Enditem

Source: Xinhua