GP partners with govt to observe18th NID

Grameenphone Ltd. has partnered again with the Bangladesh government in the government’s efforts to eradicate the re-emergence of polio in Bangladesh through National Immunization Day (NID) awareness building campaign. The NID has been organized to immunize 24 million children in Bangladesh under the age of five.
Grameenphone was also partner of the mass awareness campaign during the 16th and 17th NIDs in 2007 and 2008 to raise awareness on immunization and help the Government of Bangladesh to eradicate polio from the country. As a continuation of that endeavor, Grameenphone is taking part in mass awareness campaign in 2010 as well with Government of Bangladesh, UNICEF and WHO. The 18th National Immunization Day will took place yesterday.
Under the campaign, three (03) trucks of Baol Prochar Sangstha is moving around the Dhaka City Corporation area to highlight 10th January as NID and urge city dwellers to bring their under-S children for vaccination. This campaign started from 8th January and will continue up to 10th January.
Grameenphone is also sending free SMS alerts to its subscribers urging parents to bring children to the nearest center to have polio vaccine. Newspaper announcements, sponsored by GP, will take the same message to parents as well.
National Immunization Days (NIDs) are aimed at the complete eradication of the poliovirus and paralytic polio. Spearheaded by World Health Organization (WHO), the Global Polio Eradication Initiative (GPEI) works closely with governments around the world to reduce the incidence of polio.
Since 2006, no new cases of polio have been reported in Bangladesh. There is strong reason to believe that the disease can be completely eradicated from the country if all children can be brought within the Immunization program. To stop the transmission of the poliovirus, it is necessary to reach all children including those in hard to reach areas and those who are traveling.