Polio Control Task Force announced that 1,386,719 children have been vaccinated during 6 days within the fifth round of the mobile polio campaign in Syria, which covers the liberated areas in seven governorates: Aleppo, Idleb, Hama, Deir al Zour, Lattakia, Raqqa and Hasaka.
The fifth round commenced on May 3rd 2014 and lasted till May 8th 2014 through which the team faced many difficulties, the most important of which was inhabitant’s migration from one area to another or refuging to neighboring countries in addition to shelling Aleppo and its countryside.
Abdulkader Andalu, member of Polio team, martyred of an explosive barrel in Sheikh Fares-Aleppo. In addition, there were security difficulties and armed clashes in Raqqa and Deir al Zour, which affected the number of vaccinated children in these areas In comparison with the previous round.
Muthana Shaher, member of Polio team, martyred after being shot during performing duties in vaccinating children in Basirah- Deir al Zour. The number of vaccinated children as per Governorates was 576,797 in Aleppo, 253,996 in Idleb, 206,362 in Raqqa, 266,162 in Deir al Zour, 38,375 in Hasaka 40,161 in Hama and 4,866 in Lattakia.
The Team had started the House to House vaccination campaign in the beginning of 2014 to covers the areas out of the control of the Assad regime in seven governorates after discovering polio outbreak; the campaign was of six consecutive rounds, out of which five were accomplished. In the first round, 1,25 million children had been vaccinated; 1,4 million had been vaccinated in the second round; 1,41 million children had been vaccinated in the third round; 1,44 million children had been vaccinated in the fourth round; 1,38 million children in the fifth round . The Team intends to launch the sixth round on the end of this May.
Polio Control Task Force was established by combining the efforts of the ACU, Local Councils, Health departmants and a number of None Governmental Local and International Organizations, Polio Control Task Force started “END POLIO IN SYRIA” campaign with more than 8,000 volunteers including more than 200 physicians.
