22 Million Children in Bangladesh Get Free Polio Vaccines

Dhaka, Bangladesh (AHN) - Some 22 million children under five years old in Bangladesh were given free polio vaccines and a Vitamin A capsule in what could be country's biggest house to house immunization campaign to eradicate the polio virus.

The country spent a substantial amount on the 30 million doses of oral polio vaccines, 20 million doses of high-potency Vitamin A capsules and 13 million doses of Albendazole tablets to be used in the four-day immunization drive that began Saturday.

The vaccines were also administered to more than 60,000 health workers and 140,000 volunteers.

Polio re-surfaced in the region in 2006, after six years of absence. The latest case of polio was recorded in November last year, where eight polio cases had been detected in 12 out of 64 districts in Bangladesh.

The World Health Organization in its latest assessment report decided to focus on at least four countries including Pakistan, Afghanistan, India and Nigeria, where polio cases were found to be on the rise.