Over 1.2 million children have received 2 drops of oral polio vaccine (OPV) in Tajikistan in the past week, in the first round of a campaign to stop circulation of vaccine-derived poliovirus type 2 (cVDPV2) detected in the country. This represents 99% of the children targeted to receive vaccination during this campaign.
Since November 2020, 14 children presenting with acute flaccid paralysis have been diagnosed with poliomyelitis (polio). Due to the efficiency of the disease surveillance system, Tajikistan was able to detect and report the first poliomyelitis cases in the country since 2010. The cases are all linked to an imported virus strain currently circulating in Pakistan. Detection of poliovirus in Tajikistan triggered an international response, with WHO and Global Polio Eradication Initiative (GPEI) partners working closely with the national authorities to interrupt transmission and ensure that Tajikistan and the WHO European Region remain polio free. The high coverage of vaccination during the first round ensures that this is possible, and no child will be missed.
The campaign, which began on 31 May, aims to vaccinate all children under the age of 6 with 2 doses of OPV. It is led by the Centre for Immunoprophylaxis of the Ministry of Health and Social Protection of the Population of Tajikistan and supported by WHO, the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), and other partners within the GPEI.
“Keeping polio out of this Region is an ongoing effort. We must continue to be vigilant at all times, even when faced with other health crises, such as the COVID-19 pandemic. It is vitally important that all children in Tajikistan receive the protection they deserve, and we at WHO are committed to working with the national authorities to ensure that no one is left at risk,” said Dr Hans Henri P. Kluge, WHO Regional Director for Europe.
Protecting every child through vaccination
Tajikistan is a mountainous country with many small, remote villages that must all be reached during the nationwide campaign.
“Polio vaccination is available at the primary health care facilities, smaller health-care points and via outreach teams,” explains Farukh Murodzoda, a feldsher working in one of the health-care points in Vakhsh district in southwestern Tajikistan. His health-care point catchment area includes the villages affected by the flash floods and mudflows in mid-May. While the response to the natural disaster is still ongoing, Farukh and his colleagues will provide polio vaccination to children at the temporary first aid point set up in one of the affected villages. “In my catchment area, I have to vaccinate 679 children, and it is very important to have all of them protected against polio.”
A significant part of the work of launching an immunization campaign is ensuring that parents are informed and motivated to have their children vaccinated. Social mobilization and raising awareness about the campaign is carried out largely by the health-care workforce.
“We were notified about the vaccination by our nurse,” said Fotima, a mother of 2 children, aged 2 and 4, who received their vaccine at the primary health care facility in Vakhsh city. Like most parents waiting outside of the vaccination point, Fotima was encouraged to vaccinate her children by the family nurse during the household visits. The social mobilization efforts of community leaders and teachers boosted the door-to-door campaign delivered by health-care workers and helped to spread the word about the vaccination even in remote areas.
Supporting polio-free Tajikistan
WHO/Europe and the Country Office in Tajikistan provide comprehensive support to the Government of Tajikistan to prevent the spread of polio and protect children from this crippling disease. The outbreak response measures include strengthening of the surveillance system, planning and monitoring of the supplemental immunization campaign, and supporting community mobilization.
“Today, Tajikistan is the goalkeeper for maintaining the whole Region’s polio-free status through a vigilant surveillance system and efficient immunization efforts,” said Dr Victor Olsavszky, WHO Representative in Tajikistan. “We are grateful to all the health workers, doctors and nurses involved in the immunization campaign for their hard work and dedication. It is the joint responsibility of the government, health workers, national and international partners, community leaders, and, of course, parents to ensure that every child is protected from poliomyelitis and its dangerous complications.”
The supplemental campaign is being conducted using novel oral polio vaccine type 2 (nOPV2). This improved oral polio vaccine provides comparable protection against poliovirus to the standard monovalent oral polio vaccine type 2, while being more genetically stable and therefore less likely to revert into a form which can cause paralysis in under-immunized communities.