SOMALIA / POLIO FREE

The World Health Organization (WHO) declared Somalia free of polio for three consecutive years, but the UN agency also called for vigilance to avoid a fresh importation of the virus. UNSOM

• Categories: News & Features / News Stories / Unifeed
• Video Length: 00:02:36
• Production Date: 14 August 2017
• Asset Language: English
• Corporate Name: WORLD HEALTH ORGANIZATION - WHO
• Subject Topical: DISEASE CONTROL; POLIO VACCINATION
• Geographic Subject: SOMALIA
• MAMS Id: 1949083
• Parent Id: 1949083
• Alternate Title: unifeed170814a

Description

STORY: SOMALIA / POLIO
TRT: 2:36
SOURCE: UNSOM
RESTRICTIONS: NONE
LANGUAGE: ENGLISH /ARABIC /NATS

DATELINE: 13 AUGUST 2017, MOGADISHU, SOMALIA

Shotlist

1. Various shots, celebration
2. Wide shot, guests in hall
3. Soundbite: (English) dr. Mahmoud Fikri, World Health Organization (WHO) Regional Director for Eastern Mediterranean:
“Today we celebrate a major milestone. However, we must remember our work is not yet finished. As the world edges closer to eradication of polio, keeping alert in countries at high risk of polio importation like Somalia is more of a priority than ever.”
4. Various shots, audience
5. SOUNDBITE: (Somali) Mohamed Abdulahi Farmaajo, President of the Federal Republic of Somalia:
“The Federal Government of Somalia is committed to accelerate efforts to eradicate the killer diseases including polio. Let’s stand up to ensure this disease does not come up again. Two drops of vaccination can save our children from this killer (debilitating) disease. Only two drops. I call upon Somali mothers and parents in general to welcome with open hands health workers to carry out this vaccination.”
6. Med shot, cameras
7. Wide shot, audience

Storyline

The World Health Organization (WHO) declared Sunday (13 Aug) Somalia free of polio for three consecutive years, but the UN agency also called for vigilance to avoid a fresh importation of the virus.

The announcement was made by the WHO Regional Director for Eastern Mediterranean, Dr. Mahmoud Fikri, at celebrations to mark this milestone, which were held in the Somali capital Mogadishu.

In his speech at the event, Fikri said “today we celebrate a major milestone. However, we must remember our work is not yet finished. As the world edges closer to eradication of polio, keeping alert in countries at high risk of polio importation like Somalia are more of a priority than ever”, Dr. Fikri stated as he traced the steps taken by the country to free itself of the polio virus.

President Farmaajo stressed Somalia’s resolve to combat polio and other diseases saying “the Federal Government of Somalia is committed to accelerate efforts to eradicate the killer diseases, including polio. Let’s stand up to ensure this disease does not come up again.”

The President asked parents to co-operate with health workers and ensure that their children receive the vaccination recommended by WHO.

He said “two drops of vaccination can save our children from this debilitating disease, only two drops. I call upon Somali mothers and parents in general to welcome with open hands health workers to carry out this vaccination.”

The last polio case in Somalia was reported in Hobyo district in Mudug region in 2013.

Somalia now joins the list of countries that have not reported a single case of polio in several years. Only nine cases of polio have been reported worldwide thus far this year, and these were located in Nigeria, Afghanistan and Pakistan.

The polio-free declaration comes at a time when the country is facing its worst outbreak of measles in recent years and a major outbreak of acute watery diarrhoea/cholera, which surfaced last January with the onset of Somalia’s drought crisis.