President Macky Sall, the leader of the Republic of Senegal and the chairperson of the African Union expressed concerns over a worrisome drop in immunisation rates and the recurrence of illnesses that can be prevented by vaccination.
Sall on Saturday, spoke at a forum on vaccination and polio eradication in Africa, stating that its goal is to re-energise Heads of State on the Addis Declaration on immunisation, to increase momentum for immunisation and the eradication of polio, and to encourage support among policymakers across the continent for scaled-up policies and financing to address the alarming declines in immunisation rates and the resurgence of vaccine-preventable diseases.
President Macky Sall, President Adama Barrow of the Republic of the Gambia, President Umaro Sissoco Embalo of Guinea-Bissau, Acting Director of the African CDC Dr. Ahmed Ogwell Ouma, and Director of the World Health Organisation General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus were among the speakers at the forum, which was held in Dakar, the capital of Senegal.
Since the Covid-19 outbreak began nearly three years ago, vaccination rates have dramatically decreased.
To guarantee that children are protected against vaccine-preventable illnesses like polio, measles, and cholera, it is vital to raise immunisation rates back to (and possibly beyond) those of the pre-pandemic period.
The World Health Organisation (WHO) mandates that in the event of a polio epidemic, the affected nation and its neighbours must vaccinate children under the age of five four times in a row.
Although there is no cure, there are safe and effective vaccinations that, when administered repeatedly, can provide a kid with lifelong protection. Every kid must receive the polio vaccine until transmission ceases and the polio virus has been eradicated worldwide.