Authorities from Botswana's Ministry of Health and Wellness has said that 3,70,000 children aged seven years and below were vaccinated against the circulating vaccine-derived polio virus type 2 (cVOPV2).

Christopher Nyanga, the Ministry spokesperson, said on Friday that the vaccination campaigns ran from February 23 to April 2 in all districts across the southern African country, Xinhua news agency reported.

The cVOPV2 was detected in one sewage site in Gaborone, the capital of Botswana, toward the tail end of last year, with four positive samples reported in 2022 and one in 2023, he added.

"Our goal is to ensure vaccines reach every child and to leave no one behind," said Nyanga.

Since no new incidents are being detected, Nyanga expressed confidence that the vaccination exercise has managed to prevent the spread of the virus to vulnerable children. [IANS/NS]