Syrian Ministry of Health announced that polio virus was detected in two children in Deir ez-Zor.

The Syrian Ministry of Health announced that after the polio virus was detected in two children in Deir ez-Zor, emergency interventions were launched in the field under the coordination of the World Health Organization (WHO) and vaccination campaigns were accelerated.

After the cases were detected in Deir ez-Zor, a joint press conference was held in the capital Damascus with the participation of Syrian Minister of Health Musab al-Ali, WHO Syria Representative Caroline Clarinval and UNICEF Syria Representative Meritxell Relano Arana.

Minister of Health Ali announced that as a result of the tests, polio virus was detected in two children in the Meyadin region of Deir ez-Zor.

Emphasizing that the protection of Syrian children is their main priority, Ali said:

"Our teams immediately started working in the field. High-risk areas were identified and necessary interventions were initiated to reach children who had never been vaccinated before. Within the scope of the first campaign, more than 34 thousand children under the age of 5 were vaccinated, including children who had never been vaccinated before."

Calling on the public to "complete their missing vaccinations and cooperate with healthcare teams", Ali emphasized that the vaccines are safe, effective and used worldwide.

Ali asked families in the regions where vaccination will be announced by the ministry to take their children to the nearest health center.

Stating that the follow-up of suspicious cases continues and the necessary field investigations are carried out, Ali stated that the scope of interventions is updated according to the data obtained and medical teams are directed to the areas where they are needed most.

WHO Representative for Syria, Caroline Clarinval, stated that they are working shoulder to shoulder with the Ministry of Health to evaluate the situation on the ground and adapt the interventions to the current conditions.

Clarinval stated that the vaccination efforts initiated immediately after the two cases were detected will be further strengthened.

UNICEF Syria Representative Meritxell Relano Arana stated that detecting the polio virus in Deir ez-Zor once again demonstrates the vital importance of strengthening immunization and delivering life-saving vaccines to every child.

On the other hand, answering the AA reporter's question regarding "WHO's intervention plan, the extent of the situation and how to control the disease", Clarinval stated that the 14-year war has left deep scars on the Syrian people and the healthcare system, and stated that the Ministry of Health and healthcare professionals in the field strive every day to provide qualified healthcare services to the public.

Emphasizing that one of the main duties of WHO is to provide technical expertise, Clarinval noted that they support the Ministry of Health in order to facilitate the detection of cases, ensure the transportation of samples and clarify the situation in the field, the number of affected people, contacts and the locations of the cases.

Emphasizing that it is vital to understand the extent of the situation in the field, Clarinval stated that they based their decisions on the data they obtained from the field and, accordingly, with the support of the Ministry of Health, WHO and UNICEF, they initiated the "micro planning" process in order to control the epidemic as soon as possible.