Kathmandu, May 7:

The Ministry of Health and Population (MoHP) is launching a two-day sub-national immunisation campaign for polio eradication on June 2 in 17 more districts. Earlier, the MoHP launched the campaign in six districts.

The campaign is being launched in districts bordering India to control the spread of polio virus because polio cases were detected in some parts of India, Dr Yasovardan Pradhan, director at the Child Health Division (CHD), said.

“Two drops of oral polio vaccine will be administered to each child under five in polio booths on the first day,” he said, adding that health workers will organise house-to-house campaigns the next day in 17 Tarai districts to make sure no child is left out.

The CHD is launching a campaign against Japanese Encephalitis (JE) from the second week of May. The campaign will begin from Kanchanpur. “We have made preparations for the campaign and plan to launch it from Kanchanpur from the second week of May,” Dr Pradhan said.

“We are awaiting delivery of vaccines from Chengdu, China.” This year, the government is launching the programme in Morang, Sunsari, Rupandhehi and Kanchanpur.

“We had planned to expand the Expanded Programme on Immunisation (EPI) in 18 more districts, but could not do so because the funding agency — UNICEF — backed off and the Ministry of Finance could not provide funds,” Dr Pradhan said. The EPI needs at least Rs 14 crore to launch the programme in 18 districts .

The government had to do a rethink on its plan as the UNICEF refused to provide the funds because vaccines to be brought from the Chengdu Institute of Biological Products, China, have not received Goods Manufacturing Practice (GMP) certification. The WHO awards the certification.