Let's vaccinate our children against polio

---

Extract from the article: The Togolese government, through the Ministry of Health, in collaboration with WHO, is organising a free national polio vaccination campaign from 15 to 18 August 2022. The involvement of media professionals is vital to the success of this campaign. T

---

The Togolese government, through the Ministry of Health, in collaboration with WHO, is organising a free national polio vaccination campaign from 15 to 18 August 2022. The involvement of media professionals is vital to the success of this campaign. To this end, the Greater Lomé Regional Health Department (DRS) held a meeting with journalists on Friday 12 August to encourage them to raise public awareness and provide the right information to encourage people to take part in the campaign.

In May 2022, Togo reported a case of polio in the district of Oti in the Savannah region, and another environmental case was detected in the district of Golfe, in the Grand Lomé region. Togo is conducting a national polio campaign to stop the virus circulating, prevent new cases and boost children's immunity. The campaign runs from 15 to 18 August 2022.

Around 1,850,000 children aged 0-59 months will receive the 2 drops of bivalent polio vaccine throughout the country. The strategy for vaccinating children is door-to-door. Vaccinators will visit households, concessions, huts and places where people gather, including markets, mosques, churches, bus stations, border posts and toll booths.

For Boyodi Adonglisso, Health Promotion Focal Point for the Greater Lomé region, "the success of this campaign depends on good information.This is an opportunity for journalists to raise awareness among our parents and the general public, so that they give health workers a warm welcome.The more children are vaccinated, the better protected they are’.

Vaccinate to eradicate

Vaccination is the only way to prevent polio.You should also observe certain hygiene measures, such as washing your hands with clean, running water and soap before and after eating, and after using the toilet, boiling non-potable water before drinking it, or using another method of making it drinkable. Wash fruit and vegetables with clean water before eating them and do not defecate in the open air, but use a latrine or toilet.It is also advisable not to bathe in dirty rivers or streams, to keep the yard and the area around the house clean, and to report any case of sudden paralysis to the nearest health centre.

Poliomyelitis is a disabling viral disease that particularly affects children under the age of 5. It can lead to irreversible paralysis in a matter of hours, or even death. It is a highly contagious disease that is transmitted by the faecal-oral route, i.e. by eating food that has been contaminated by faecal matter.

William O.