Jordan Times
Saturday, March 14, 1998
Nation-wide polio vaccination campaign begins today
AMMAN (J.T.) — A nation-wide polio immunisation campaign
begins today as part of overall efforts to eliminate the disease
from Jordan by the year 2000, according to Ministry of Health
officials.
In a statement issued Friday, the ministry said the campaign,
which is being financed by the World Health Organisation (WHO),
the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF), and the Jordanian
Rotary and Lions clubs, will provide immunisations free of charge
to all children below the age of five.
Ministry officials said the five-day campaign will be conducted
in two stages. Children will be given an oral vaccination to be
followed by a second dose four weeks later.
The vaccine is available in all Ministry of Health centres, women
and child care centres, government hospitals, Royal Medical
Services centres, clinics run by the United Nations Relief and
Works Agency (UNRWA), the Jordan University Hospital and private
clinics, according to the ministry.
These centres will be open from eight in the morning until four
in the afternoon and no identity cards or other documents are
required, the statement said.
Haidar Etoum, the head of the national vaccination campaign at
the ministry, estimated that 700,000 children are eligible for
immunisations.
Calling on the public to cooperate with the ministry to ensure
the success of the campaign, Dr. Etoum said no cases of polio
have been reported in Jordan since 1994, but the campaign is
needed until at least the year 2000 to guarantee that the disease
will not recur.