REGIONAL HIGHLIGHTS:
This month, polio vaccination capaigns were launched or continued in four host countries.
In Egypt, the first round of the polio immunization campaign began and more than 15.4 million under five children were vaccinated, 94 per cent of the target. Awareness activities were conducted by community health volunteers prior to the start of the polio campaign.
In Jordan, a total of 373,622 children under five living in 210 'high risk' areas in host communities were vaccinated during the first part of the Sub-National Immunization Days (SNID). The campaign will continue in refugee camps during May.
In Iraq, a campaign in the Kurdistan Region saw 763,104 children vaccinated against polio during April, reaching almost 100 per cent of the target.
Partners conducted a supplementary polio vaccination campaign in Lebanon in 27 districts, reaching children under five regardless of nationality.
By the end of 2015, some 22.5 million children are targeted to receive a polio vaccination. As of end-April, more than 16.2 million children have been immunized so far.
Other routine vaccination programmes also continue in the refugee hosting countries. For example, in Lebanon 20,426 refugee and host community children were covered during the month with routine vaccinations, while in Iraq some 2,000 Syrian refugee children below the age of one have been immunized against measles this year.