QRCS Holds Children Vaccination Campaign in Northern Syria in Cooperation with UN

QRCS Supervises Children Vaccination Campaign in Northern Syria

Children Vaccination Campaign in Northern Syria by QRCS

As part of the northern Syria independent vaccination monitoring program, the personnel of Qatar Red Crescent Society (QRCS) are monitoring a new door-to-door mobile polio vaccination campaign, under the supervision of the World Health Organization (WHO) and the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF).

Amid strict COVID-19 preventive measures, the drive is being implemented by the Syria Vaccination Team, who are giving oral polio vaccines to a total of over 800,000 children under five years of age. It is an attempt to reach out to those children not vaccinated during previous campaigns, towards zero polio in northern Syria.

As a neutral observer, QRCS seeks to make sure that the vaccination process met international standards. A well-trained team of QRCS personnel are deployed across the target areas to ensure adequacy of vaccination hubs, validity of injections, good performance of vaccinators, and safe outreach to children.

Other tasks of the monitoring team included correcting any procedures not complying with the plan, applying the Coronavirus control measures, reporting on the progress and final results, and proposing recommendations.

QRCS has considerable experience in monitoring child vaccination campaigns against infectious diseases. Its representation mission in Gaziantep, Turkey, holds intensive in-house and in-site training courses to improve the monitoring, planning, follow-up, and reporting skills among the observers, so that they are qualified to accompany the vaccinators wherever they go.

For years now, QRCS has been engaged in monitoring many child vaccination campaigns in Syria against polio, measles, and rubella. It worked together with many UN agencies, international humanitarian organizations, and local charities to protect millions of Syrian children. (QNA)