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Date : 30/05/2003
Source: Ministry of Health
Title: Tshabalala-Msimang: National Polio Countdown Celebration


SPEECH BY THE MINISTER OF HEALTH, DR TSHABALALA-MSIMANG, AT THE NATIONAL POLIO COUNTDOWN CELEBRATION, 30 MAY 2003

Premier of the Free State, Ms Winkie Direko
MEC for Health, Ms Ouma Tsopo
The Head of Health, Dr Victor Litlhakanyane
Health care workers
Members of the community
Ladies and Gentlemen

It is a great pleasure for me to be part of this important event to mark the Countdown to a Polio Free South Africa.

Soon the whole world will be free of this scourge, which has paralysed, incapacitated and left millions lame and even wheelchair bound in the past. Today we are here to say "no child should ever be paralysed by polio".

We are launching the countdown to a polio free South Africa in your Province. This initiative is designed to heighten awareness about the polio eradication efforts of this country. Participation is needed at all levels to build commitment for polio eradication.

Polio eradication is also a global effort, which requires all countries, big and small, to combine their efforts if this goal is to be attained by the year 2005.

This initiative requires commitment from the public and private health sectors, the communities and other sectors of our society. Our goal is to rid the world of polio once and for all.

Immunisation is one of the greatest success stories of the 20th century. It was through immunisation that smallpox; one of the most disfiguring diseases was eradicated. The whole world is now free from smallpox. In the same way, immunisation will set the world free of polio.

Our country cannot afford to have children crippled or killed by polio when there is an effective and a safe vaccine, which is readily available. We encourage parents, caregivers and communities to continue supporting the immunisation programme. Immunisation is a critical ingredient of every child's survival and good health. Our country puts the needs of children first, thus our children should not be deprived of immunisation.

All of us gathered here need to remember that child protection is everybody's responsibility. We all have a role to play in protecting our children from all forms of abuse, poverty and malnutrition.

As we celebrate the Child Protection Week, we are sustaining our efforts to protect the health of children. As a country we have linked immunisation to the Integrated Management of Child Illnesses strategy. We are building on a strong and integrated approach in providing our children with the best health care available and ensure that they live in a healthy environment.

Government is ensuring that all our children get access to health services, education and covered within our social support system. We providing free health care to children under age of six and nutritional through the school nutrition programme. Government has increased child support grant to cover children under the age of 9 this year. In April next year, the age limit will increase to 11 and at the same time in 2004, all children under the age of 14 will be eligible to apply for social grants.

The government of South Africa gives full support to the global polio eradication initiative and has implemented the necessary strategies to be certified free of polio, as recommended by WHO. The National immunisation campaigns were conducted in 1995, 1996, 1997 and 2000, and a polio focused campaign will take place throughout the country in 2004.

We have also formed three committees as required by the World Health Organisation to monitor the polio eradication process namely the National Certification Committee, the Laboratory Containment Committee, and the Polio Expert Committee. We have joined hands with Lesotho and Swaziland and have an Inter-country Certification Committee as well. We are all working very hard to ensure that Polio Free Certification in the region occurs before December 2005.

The formation and activities of these committees bring us closer to the realisation of a polio free South Africa, and a Polio Free Southern Africa. We are confident that our country and our region is now on track to be certified free of this crippling and killer disease by 2005.

Southern Africa sees herself as one. As part of our regional efforts, we are pulling together to eliminate poverty, malnutrition, to build a strong economy and in fighting and eradicating diseases like polio for the present and future generations.

Polio does not respect national boundaries. If a single child remains infected with a wild poliovirus, children in all countries are at risk. Poliovirus can be imported into a country where it will spread. We therefore need to join hands with other countries to ensure that this dreadful crippling disease is eradicated world-wide.

Once the wild poliovirus is eradicated, no child will ever again lose the ability to walk because of polio. The future generations of children can grow up without the risk of polio. We owe it to the present and future generations to eradicate polio.

We need to maintain immunisation coverage at a high level. Each and every child of Africa needs to be immunised against polio. Therefore, all parents and caregivers are urged to take their children to the nearest clinic or health care centre for oral polio vaccine.

A child that is not immunised is at risk of suffering from polio and is also a danger to other children. No child should be deprived of immunisation as this has serious implications for both the child and the community.

There is no cure for polio, but it can definitely be prevented. A polio victim is crippled for life. It is the duty of every parent or guardian to ensure that every child receives vaccination against polio.

The community can help to ensure that polio is eradicated by supporting immunisation efforts and reporting all cases of suspected polio. Any case of a sudden weakness or lameness of a limb should be reported immediately to the health care workers. The health care worker will carry out the necessary investigations to determine whether it is polio.

The last person reported to suffer from polio in South Africa, confirmed by laboratory test, was in 1989. While this may be a couple of years ago, we have to sustain our immunisation campaign in order to meet the international requirement for being certified polio free.

It is the duty of all of us, to ensure that our children are immunised against this dreadful disease. Let us say "No to polio" and adhere to the routine immunisation efforts to wipe polio off the face of this world.

We need to go out to the "hard to reach" areas need to be mobilised and be made aware of immunisation. We should all be on alert and look for suspected polio cases and report them. It is with the reporting of suspected cases that we ensure that we reach Certification within the next 3 years. By making a difference in our communities, the results will benefit the whole nation. Let us making this our contribution to our children's welfare.

Before I start the countdown, I would like to express our sincere gratitude to the WHO, UNICEF and ROTARY for your technical and financial support. I would like to also thank our health workers, who by their commitment to the health and well being of children, work tirelessly to ensure that children are immunised and that polio surveillance is carried out in all the corners of our country.

To the Premier, the MEC of Health and all of you gathered here today, I fully appreciate your participation in this occasion and acknowledge your commitment to a Polio Free South Africa.

As of today we will count down the 945 days to reach 31 December 2005, the day we expect that the world will be Declared Free of Polio. It gives me great pleasure in setting the countdown clock in motion.

Let us all say "YES TO A POLIO FREE SOUTH AFRICA".

Thank you

Issued by the Ministry of Health

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