As the country prepares to administer the first phase of polio vaccine to under five children, the Ministry of Health says it is optimistic that it will beat the World Health Organisation (WHO) target which requires countries to achieve 80% when administering any childhood vaccine.

Speaking to YFM, spokesperson for the ministry, Adrian Chikumbe, said over the past years the country has always beaten the WHO target by more than 5%.

Chikumbe said: “Generally we had no problems with childhood vaccinations that we have provided over the years and we have been beating the WHO target which is 80 percent as we have been reaching 85 percent and above.”

He however said there are some minor challenges that arise due to some religious beliefs.

He also admitted that there is need for intensive sensitization campaigns because of misconceptions that may arise as a result of covid-19 pandemic.

He further warned that although the country has registered only one case, but it is still at risk because scientifically, once one case is confirmed it means there is a possibility that there are also about 200 undetected cases.

“I can confirm that the country is still at risk since we registered the first case because polio is one of the highly infectious diseases and there is a possibility that some may be harbouring the virus in their bodies without exhibiting clinical signs,” he said.

About 2.9 million under five children in the country are expected to receive the vaccine.