Cape Verde’s Ministry of Health on Monday launched the second dose of the inactivated polio vaccine for 9-month-old children with the aim of ensuring adequate protection against all types of polio virus.
Presiding over the ceremony, which took place in Cidade Velha, a locality located 15 km from Praia on the island of Santiago, the Minister of Health, Filomena Gonçalves, stressed that Cape Verde is already equipped with the chain adequate cold and the stock of vaccines necessary for vaccination.
It is “a historic day” for the national health system because from now on the vaccine will be available in all primary health care structures in the country and it is even planned to reach at least 95% of vaccinated children by the end. 2023, she rejoiced.
Even though the archipelago was certified as a polio-free country in 2016, it still needs to join the global polio eradication initiative, the minister added.
For her part, the head of the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) office, Salette Bettecourt, acknowledged that Cape Verde has always adhered to global and regional immunization initiatives with political commitment and technical efforts ” considerable and appreciable”.
Poliomyelitis, also called infantile paralysis, is an acute contagious disease caused by the poliovirus, which can infect children and adults through direct contact with feces or secretions from the mouth of sick people.