Juba, Feb 13 (IANS): South Sudan, in partnership with United Nations agencies, launched the fourth round of the polio vaccination campaign, with the goal of vaccinating 3.47 million children between the ages of 0 and 59 months.

Harriet Pasquale Akello, undersecretary in the Ministry of Health on Wednesday said the vaccination aims to eliminate transmission of poliomyelitis (polio) among children across the country.

"In light of our country's challenging conditions, we urge everyone to seize this opportunity. Every child under five must receive oral polio vaccines. Our goal is to stop the transmission of poliomyelitis," Akello said in a joint statement issued in Juba, the capital of South Sudan.

The campaign, spearheaded by South Sudan's Ministry of Health with support from the World Health Organisation (WHO) and the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF), follows the recent confirmation of 36 cases of circulating vaccine-derived poliovirus type 2 (cVDPV2) in eight counties of the country.

Humphrey Karamagi, WHO Representative for South Sudan, said the vaccination campaign is a significant step towards eradicating polio, a disease that no child should ever have to face, Xinhua news agency reported.

"This campaign is a crucial step toward eliminating the outbreak and safeguarding every child from this debilitating disease. Because no child is safe, until all are protected, we continue to strengthen the cold chain system to maintain vaccine efficacy, mobilise communities and empower frontline health workers to reach even the most remote areas," said Obia Achieng, deputy representative of UNICEF.

In December 2023, South Sudan declared a public health emergency following the confirmation of cVDPV2 outbreak. This fourth round is the first of three national polio vaccination rounds that the country has successfully carried out in February, April, and November 2024.

According to the WHO, Poliomyelitis is a highly infectious viral disease that largely affects children under 5 years of age. The virus is transmitted by person-to-person spread mainly through the faecal-oral route or, less frequently, by a common vehicle (e.g. contaminated water or food) and multiplies in the intestine, from where it can invade the nervous system and cause paralysis.