Polio Campaign Launch In Lake State

25 February 2011 – (Wulu) – The governor of Lakes state is urging health workers to immunize all children under five years of age to eradicate polio from southern Sudan.

Governor Chol Tong Mayay was speaking in Rumbek on Tuesday during the launch of the National Polio Immunization Campaign in the state.

[Chol Tong Mayay]: There were such reports in other campaigns whereby when the sun becomes hot and for you to fulfill your mission that you have vaccinated children, you just go and destroy this one (ampules) and then you bring empty ones and then you say l have vaccinated. This is really a big crime, you have killed people, you have killed the children, so there is a need for you to carry out this as a task, so this is the main task for you to do.’’

The governor of lakes state, Chol Tong Mayay called on southern Sudanese to take immunization against polio seriously to eradicate polio in the region.

[Chol Tong]: “I’m appealing to all Southern Sudanese because even if it is eradicated in one state and it is in other state or other part of southern Sudan then we will still get it so am appealing to southern Sudanese people and even to all African countries that there is a need to take this vaccination serious so that polio is eradicated because we need human resources to develop Africa, we need human resources to develop southern Sudan.’’

The first round of the Polio vaccination campaign which began on the 22nd will end on the 25th of February and the second round will begin on the 29th of March to April 1st.