By John Lee. The World Health Organization (WHO) has praised Iraq's success in fighting polio. Full statement from WHO: Iraq's landmark achievement in polio transition reaps benefits Iraq, the first country among polio transition priority countries to achieve the polio transition process in full, continues to reap benefits from its historic success. Its polio programme […]
From the World Health Organization (WHO): As of January 2024, Iraq has achieved the polio transition process in full. It is the first country among the polio transition priority countries to achieve this remarkable feat. Polio transition involves repurposing polio assets - knowledge, network and infrastructure - to strengthen the broader public health functions of […]
Environmental surveillance network training: WHO Iraq and federal ministries collaborate to ensure a polio-free Iraq The World Health Organization (WHO) in Iraq, in close collaboration with Iraq's Ministry of Health (MOH) and Ministry of Environment (MOE), has concluded a successful 4-day training programme on the environmental surveillance network for poliovirus monitoring and detection. This initiative […]
More than 1.9 million Iraqi children in high risk governorates to be vaccinated against polio On Sunday, Iraqi health authorities, in partnership with the World Health Organization (WHO) and UNICEF began a mass polio vaccination campaign targeting more than 1.9 million children under the age of five. The campaign will be conducted in locations across […]
More than 3.1 million Iraqi children to be vaccinated against polio Health authorities in Iraq in partnership with the World Health Organization (WHO) and UNICEF have launched a campaign to reach more than 3.1 million children under five years of age with lifesaving polio vaccinations. The five-day campaign aims to target children in 65 districts […]
For more than 3 years, the people of Hawiija [Hawijah] district in Kirkuk governorate, were cut off from lifesaving health care and immunization services, leaving many children susceptible to vaccine-preventable diseases. “For years, I worried that my children may contract polio and measles or die,” said Hadija, a 32-year-old mother of 3. In September 2017, […]
A national immunization days campaign has today commenced in Iraq and targets over 6 million children aged 0 to 5 years of age. Supported by the Ministry of Health, WHO and UNICEF, the door-to-door campaign is being conducted for 5 days and will include the newly liberated areas in Mosul where thousands of children have […]
Major campaign launched to immunize 5.8 million Iraqi children against polio Today, on World Polio Day the Ministry of Health with support from UNICEF and the World Health Organization (WHO) launched a weeklong nationwide campaign to immunize Iraq’s children against polio. Under the slogan “two drops can change a life,” the five-day campaign aims to […]
WHO and UNICEF Iraq Launch Vaccination Drive to keep the Country Polio-Free Iraqi children under five this week are again the centre of a mass vaccination campaign that started on 24 May across all governorates in Iraq tokeep the country polio-free after completing one year since the last case of polio was recorded in a […]
Keeping Iraq “polio free”: New immunization campaign targets 5.8 million children A five day nationwide polio immunization campaign targeting 5.8 million children under five years of age in Iraq will commence Sunday 12 April and will be marked by launch events on 12 April in Baghdad, organized by the Ministry of Health Iraq, and on […]
By John Lee. Passengers arriving in Lebanon on flights from are reportedly being forced to receive oral polio vaccinations. Writing in Rudaw, Judit Neurink says "these forced immunization boosters are a human rights violation, as they breech the integrity of one’s one body. More importantly, it discriminates against and scandalizes a whole population already plagued […]
On 7th April, Iraq has gone one year since wild poliovirus paralyzed a 34 month old girl on the outskirts of Baghdad. The young girl, as well as a 7-month old boy who was the first polio case in Iraq, were both systematically missed by both routine immunization and outreach campaigns and contracted wild poliovirus […]
