The Government of Malawi, through the Ministry of Health, has announced that it will kick-start the supplementary polio immunization campaign on 12 July 2023 and will run up to 15th July 2023.

The campaign is targeting 8.8 million children of under 15 years of age.

Speaking during a media orientation on the 2023 supplementary polio immunization campaign on Tuesday in Mponela, Dowa, Spokesperson in the Ministry of Health, Adrian Chikumbe, said the campaign comes at a time when the country continue to register polio cases within and the surrounding countries.

"Polio virus is still circulating in our environment such that all children under the age of 15 are at risk of the disease," he said.

According to him, in addition to the index cases which was confirmed in February 2022 in under five child, two more cases were registered in February 2023 in the ages between 5-15 years.

Chikumbe added the media is very crucial in this campaign to sensitize people on the benefits of taking their children for vaccination.

In her presentation, Ministry of health Expanded Programne on Immunization Officer, Brenda Mhone assured the parents and guardians that the vaccine is safe and effective.

"Parents should bring forward all eligible children for vaccination to protect them from the disease," she said, adding that the disease is preventable through immunization as well as practicing food, personal hygiene and proper disposal of faeces and waste.

World Health Organization (WHO) responsible Immunization Programme, Dr Boston Zimba said Malawi is at risk of having cases due to porous borders.

"This increases the risk of transmission of the disease in the country," he said.

Zimba said they will continue rendering both financial and technical support to the country fight the disease to make sure children are protected from the disease.

Polio is a disease caused by virus and is spread from person to person mainly through faecal oral transmission and can lead to paralysis.