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Japan donates $270,000 polio vaccines
2006-03-01 07:17:41
By Joyce Mkinga
The government of Japan has extended support toward polio immunization campaign in the country by supplying oral polio vaccines worth US$266,831.
The consignment was handed over yesterday by the Ambassador of Japan to Tanzania, Katsuya Ikeda to the Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Prof David Mwakyusa.
Ambassador Ikenda, who was accompanied by officials from the Japanese International Cooperation Agency (JICA) said that the vaccines were supplied under the JICA technical cooperation, namely the Special Supply of Equipment for Infectious Disease Control ’’Polio Eradication’’.
The government of Japan has been supporting to polio control programme mainly by supplying vaccines since 1995 and the number of doses has reached 66.4 million worth US$6.8 million and grant assistance has reached US$6.3 million by February this year.
Speaking at the occasion, Prof Mwakyusa said Tanzania was maintaining a high oral polio vaccine routine coverage to the children below one year and that Japan facilitated the country target of attaining a status for polio free certificate.
’’Since 1996 no polio cases has been reported in the country which means that the polio immunization campaigns was effective,’’ he said.
He said although the world aimed at eradicating wild polio virus by 2005, the target was not possible because the virus is endemic in the countries with poor vaccination coverage.
’’We will continue with polio eradication activities until the world is declared polio free.
We have a threat of cross-border importation of wild poliovirus from endemic countries because of on-and-off influx of refugees from neighbouring countries,’’ the Minister said.
He said the health sector was responsible for promoting, preventing, rehabilitating and treating prevailing disease, adding that immunization was the most cost-effective health intervention and one of the health sector’s priorities in Tanzania.
The Minister said the government of Japan has been in the forefront to make the intervention possible by supplying oral polio vaccine for both routine and national campaigns.
’’I would like to take this opportunity to thank the government of Japan for the support, I assure you that we will make sure that the support is utilized efficiently for the reduction of morbidity and mortality among the vulnerable children in Tanzania and thereby contributing to the attainment of Millennium Development Goals (MDGS) Number Four,’’ he said.
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