Kabarole Resident District Commissioner Madam Ayesiga Julian Sarah has ordered the district health office to scrap off unvaccinated Village Health Teams (VHTs) from the list of those to participate in the mass polio vaccination exercise that will kick off this Friday.

During a district COVID-19 task force meeting Tuesday evening, Ayesiga said there were some VHTs who have not received their COVID-19 vaccination, and deploying them in the field to interact with the public during the polio vaccination exercise puts the people’s lives at risk.

Ayesiga also asked the DHO to ensure that the health team moves forward with COVID-19 vaccines to vaccinate the VHTs during the polio vaccination training workshops and, in case some decline to be vaccinated, they should be denied a chance to be on the polio vaccination team.

The three day mass polio vaccination exercise is scheduled to kick off on Friday, Jan. 14, 2022.

During this nation-wide exercise, health workers with the help of LC1 chairpersons and a VHT in respective villages, will be moving house to house to give oral polio vaccines to all children below the age of 5.