What does NIDS stand for?

The new Japanese grant will allow the procurement of essential supplies, including vaccines necessary for National Immunization Days (NIDs) and routine immunization.

Other programmes e* The National Immunization Days against polio are ongoing across the State, with WHO providing financial support to alternate partners to access areas where government health workers cannot operate.

Since 2000, reported annual routine vaccination coverage with >3 doses of oral polio vaccine (OPV) has been very low in CAR (<50%); National Immunization Days have been conducted every year since 1996, except in 2002 (1).

By 1998, 118 countries had conducted at least one round of National Immunization Days, during which all children under five are administered two doses of polio vaccine one month apart.

Last year, over 100,000 Rotary club members volunteered during the national immunization days in India, some traveling from as far as the United States and Japan.

Experts have developed a protocol of cooperation that covered the main areas, including the creation of intercountry contingency stocks of drugs and vaccines, the establishment of an intercountry technical support team, standardization of case management, improvement of water supply and sanitation, joint operational research on health problems of common interest, simultaneous organization of national immunization days to eradicate poliomyelitis in the region and regular meeting of health officers from neighbouring districts in order to facilitate exchange of information.

Dikembe Mutombo will also record public service announcements urging parents in the Congo to participate in the National Immunization Days.

Besides raising funds, over one million men and women of Rotary have donated their time and personal resources to help immunize billions of children during National Immunization Days throughout the world.