ACU Manages to Contain Polio in Opposition-held Areas

Bashir Taj al-Din, coordinator of health services ACU said that polio has been contained in northern Syria, denying reports that the epidemic is increasingly spreading. The vaccination campaign was conducted with the support of the Turkish Red Crescent and the Ministry of Health. Taj al-Din said that the last case of polio was recorded on January 23, 2014 in the district of Douma near Damascus but it was denied by the Assad regime. He also stated that the World Health Organization has not been able to get any clear information from the Assad regime in this regard. The fifth round of the vaccination campaign is still underway and is conducted by ACU with the help of the Turkish Red Crescent and the Ministry of Health. “ACU’s teams will do all what they can to get to all areas of Syria, including the rural areas. The previous rounds of the vaccination campaign were remarkably successful, as we managed to give the vaccine to more than five million children. There was also a noticeable increase in the number of children who were vaccinated in the previous rounds,” he said. Taj al-Din thanked the Turkish Ministry of Health for providing the vaccines, adding that Turkey has greatly contributed to the protection of the Syrian children. (Source: Anadolu News Agency)