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06/08/2025
SIMBU PHA STAFF TRAIN TO COMBAT POLIO.
[06th of August 2025]
The Simbu Provincial Health Authority (SiPHA) staff are undergoing a three-day training on polio vaccination and outbreak response. The training, which runs from today until Friday, is being led by a consultant from the World Health Organization (WHO) and aims to prepare staff for an upcoming polio immunization drive.
Dr. Amer Attique, the WHO consultant, stated during the training that a single confirmed case of polio is considered an outbreak. He explained that the most common way the virus spreads is through the fecal-oral route. He noted that infected individuals shed the poliovirus for several weeks, allowing it to spread quickly within communities.
Dr. Attique also warned that in areas with low immunization rates, the virus can spread from one unvaccinated child to another over a long period (12-18 months), causing it to mutate. This mutated form, known as circulating vaccine-derived poliovirus (cVDPVs), can then cause paralysis and spread just like the wild poliovirus.
SiPHA CEO Dr. Kassi Ken officially opened the training by highlighting the critical importance of the work. He acknowledged that Simbu's immunization rates are "very challenging," with the provincial average falling below 50%—a rate he described as "one of the worst in the world."
Challenging the trainees, Dr. Ken stated that the success or failure of the program rests on their shoulders. He urged them to remain focused and learn from the facilitators, emphasizing that if they fail to listen and apply the knowledge, they will be failing the people of Simbu.
The training focuses on three key strategies for an effective polio outbreak response:
Protecting children aged 0-10 from poliovirus-induced paralysis.
Preventing the wider spread and stopping the circulation of the virus.
Strengthening routine immunization programs.
The training will equip SiPHA staff to carry out effective awareness campaigns and implement the immunization program to help protect the community from polio.