His Excellency Prime Minister Abdi Farah Shirdon today called on Somalis to protect their children from the ravages of polio in a new vaccination campaign.
“There is no treatment for polio. There is only prevention, which is the whole point of this vaccination,” the Prime Minister said. “I urge all Somalis to take advantage of this opportunity and have their children vaccinated. This is not an option, it’s a necessity.”
Four cases of polio have been reported in Somalia in the past six months. The vaccination will be available for all children aged 10 and under.
The Prime Minister called upon civil society and the media to get behind the campaign and spread awareness into the most remote areas.
The Somali government will take the lead on the polio vaccination campaign through the Ministry of Social Development, assisted by the World Health Organisation, UNICEF, the UN’s Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, and other NGOs.
“Children are the future for any country. We must be a society that raises fit and healthy children to take their rightful and productive place in Somalia. I would like to thank everyone involved in this campaign from the Ministry of Social Development and the UN agencies to doctors doing brave and important work in the most remote parts of our country,” the Prime Minister said.
ENDS
Ahmed Adan
Prime Minister’s Media Office
Mogadishu, Somalia
Email: media@opm.gov.so
Mobile: +252 (0) 616 440 028
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