The campaign, which aims to eradicate the disease from the country, will be launched in two phases -- first on December 21 this year and then on January 12 of 2014. [break]
Officials at the division said that the necessary preparations for the campaign have already been started. Health workers and female community health volunteers (FCHVs) would be given trainings and awareness campaigns would be carried out through all means of mass communication, health officials at the department said.
Polio is a disease caused by acute viral infection and mainly affects children under five. It invades the nervous system and can cause total paralysis.
Though no polio case has detected since August 2010, the country is yet to be declared virus free. According to Dr Shyam Raj Upreti, chief of Immunization Section of division, the country is still a long way off from total eradication, as the World Health Organization (WHO) makes such declaration only after all the countries of a region are free of the virus. Six cases of polio were detected in 2010 and all were imported from India.
The Ministry of Health and Population has been launching mass polio campaign every year since 1996 to curb the infection. Dr Upreti claimed that the office is very cautious about the possibility of re-infections. He informed that the campaign is part of National Immunization Program and the government itself has bought all vaccines.
The WHO and UNICEF have supported the government in the campaign. Rotary Club, Lions Club and Nepal Red Cross Society will assist the division in the campaign.
Related story
Worth of stories
