THE SOLOMON Islands today joins 126 countries around the world in introducing the Inactivated Polio Vaccine (IPV) to give children extra protection against polio, a disease that can cause lifelong paralysis and even death.

Although Solomon Islands was declared to be free of polio in 2000, the country remains at risk of reinfection until the disease has been eradicated globally.

Polio is caused by a highly contagious virus and it can easily spread in places where children have not been vaccinated.

As of 2014, 23 percent of children in Solomon Islands have not been vaccinated against polio.

From October, the IPV injection will be given to babies at 14 weeks of age, together with other vaccines, to give them extra immunity or protection from polio.

“Give your child the best start in life and protect them from life-threatening diseases. Take them to the nearest health clinic for their vaccines at birth, 6 weeks, 10 weeks, 14 weeks, 1 year and at 6 years of age,” said MHMS Permanent Secretary, Dr Tenneth Dalipada.

“Children are very vulnerable to disease during their first months of life, so it’s very important they receive all their vaccines at least 1 month apart to help them stay healthy well into the future.”

“Make sure to bring your child back for follow up vaccinations, or they won’t be protected from life-threatening diseases such as polio,” said Dr Dalipada.

Symptoms of polio include fever, fatigue, headache, vomiting, and stiffness in the neck, pain or weakness in the limbs.

Even children who are healthy can carry and spread the polio virus, so it is very important that all children are vaccinated so that the whole community is protected.

“IPV is one of the safest vaccines available, and together with the Oral Polio Vaccine it provides safe and strong protection against polio,” said Dr Dalipada.

Remember, the easiest way to protect your child from vaccine preventable diseases is to ensure they receive all their childhood vaccines at the right time: at birth, 6 weeks, 10 weeks, 14 weeks, 1 year and at 6 years of age.

If there is a new baby in your family or community, talk to their parents about the importance of getting their baby vaccinated and how you can help, for example, by sharing the cost of transport to the clinic, or helping with gardening or food preparation so that parents have free time to take their children to the clinic, at the right age.

To find out more, listen to the talkback radio show on SIBC this Sunday 4 October, at 2pm.

The Ministry of Health and Medical Services would like to thank all those partners that support the routine immunisation program in the Solomon Islands including the World Health Organisation, UNICEF, the Government of Australia’s Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, and GAVI, the Vaccine Alliance.

— MHMS Press