PM affirms importance of keeping country free from polio

SANA'A, June 21 (Saba)-Prime Minister Ali Mujawar affirmed on Sunday
importance of keeping the country free from polio.

IN a ceremony was organized by the ministry of health on approving
the World Health Organization for the report, which announced Yemen
is free from polio, Mujawar said that health protection for the
people is one of the key tasks of the government.

He pointed out to the necessity of drafting programs to serve health
sector in the nation within third-five year plan for economic and
social development and electoral program of President Ali Abdullah
Saleh.

Mujawar highlighted efforts of the ministry in combating police by
launching national campaigns since 1996 which were under direct
sponsorship of president Saleh.

For his part, the minister of health Abdul Kareem Rase said that the
percentage of routine vaccination increased during the two years ago
up to 87 percent, adding that there no death measles case has been
registered since 2007.

WHO Assistant regional director Abdullah al-Saadi said that the
announcement came within international efforts to root out the virus
of polio from whole of the world.Al-Saadi said that Yemen has to
keep in this achievement, affirming importance of supporting the
routine vaccination against killing diseases across the country.

Mid of May, the WHO regional office in Cairo declared that Yemen is
officially free from Polio. WHO said that the declaration came after
the WHO's Regional Certification Committee studying the documents
presented by Certification Committee of Yemen and accepted their
contents.