Betty Atim, a woman councillor, immunising a child at the launch of the programme

By Justin Moro

GULU district leaders have been called upon to moblise and sensitise parents to take children below five years for polio immunisation. The deputy resident district commissioner, Milton Odongo, made the call while addressing a rally at Kal-Ali Health Centre II in Paicho subcounty, Aswa county.

This was at the launch of a four-day polio immunisation campaign on Saturday. Odongo allayed fears that the polio vaccine contains anti-bodies that would make the children impotent and weak. “The Government cannot harm its own people. The polio vaccine has been tested and recommended by the World Health Organisation.

He warned that those decampaigning the programme would be arrested and prosecuted. The district secretary for works and technical services, Alex Otim, warned the people against politicising health programmes.

“The Government wants the country to be free of polio by 2020. Anybody decampaigning the programme is an enemy of the people,” Otim said.