Guantanamo.- The 65th Bivalent Oral Polio Vaccination Campaign in Guantanamo Province is currently more than 50 percent complete. In its initial phase, the campaign aims to immunize over 14,000 children.
According to Dr. María Elena Sánchez García, head of the provincial immunization program, the target group for this phase includes children over one month old and under three years of age will be vaccinated with two doses (two drops) in two phases.
The vaccination campaign is structured in two phases. The ongoing first phase will continue until early May, followed by a second phase commencing on June 20. The latter phase will expand coverage to children up to nine years, 11 months, and 29 days old, with an expected reach of just over 6,000 children within this age group.
Key to the campaign’s success is the active participation of primary healthcare teams and nursing staff. This effort is overseen by the deputy director of the area health authority, municipal officials, and provincial authorities. Their combined efforts ensure that Guantanamo’s most vulnerable children receive protection against poliovirus, a pathogen known to attack the nervous system and cause severe, sometimes debilitating complications.
Since Cuba declared polio eradicated in 1962, periodic vaccination campaigns like this one have been vital to maintaining this public health achievement. To facilitate immunization, all health areas in Guantanamo have organized vaccination centers operating at convenient hours for families. Additionally, from May 4 to 9, a catch-up period will be held for those children who were unable to be vaccinated for any reason.
