Myanmar to vaccinate millions of children against polio

Nay Pyi Taw, Feb 19: Myanmar is set to launch a nationwide immunisation campaign this weekend in an effort to reduce the under-five mortality rate, the health ministry announced on Friday.

The nationwide immunisation campaign, scheduled for Saturday and Sunday, is expected to see 4.6 million children under five vaccinated against polio, Xinhua news agency reported.

Last month, the vaccination campaign on 2.45 million children under five was initially conducted in 171 potential pandemic townships across the country, gaining a vaccination rate of 99.8 percent.

Myanmar has carried out such campaign for children under five since 1996 and was among all ten members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) which were declared by the World Health Organisation (WHO) as polio-free in March 2014. (IANS)