By Petronella Sibeene WINDHOEK In order to make the second round of the mass polio vaccination even more effective in terms of reaching remote areas, the Namibia Red Cross Society this week received N$5 000 worth of fuel vouchers for the donated 14 vehicles to be used in fighting polio. The Namibia Red Cross Society has made provision for 14 vehicles nationwide in the fight against the latest polio outbreak. According to the National Officer for Information Dissemination Morning-Star Rosario, the vehicles will assist the Ministry of Health and Social Services in the social mobilization of communities during the polio campaign. “When we heard that the Namibia Red Cross Society has deployed 14 vehicles towards the polio campaign, BP Namibia decided to contribute to the country’s polio campaign efforts with this donation,” said Esther Hoveka, BP’s Corporate Affairs Manager. Rosario told New Era that more than 300 Namibia Red Cross volunteers were deployed nationwide during the first round of the mass polio vaccination to complement efforts of the ministry’s campaign. “These volunteers received training in the administration of polio drops, and have proved to be of great assistance during house to house visits, as well as at health centres and immunization points,” she added. Apart from that, the Namibia Red Cross has also translated into local languages, 17 000 fact sheets on basic hygiene. These messages are aimed at educating and informing the public on the polio outbreak. The national society’s volunteers have been distributing these fact sheets. In addition, a health and care delegation accompanied by an officer have been deployed for technical support to the Namibia Red Cross by the Harare-based International Federation for Red Cross Red Crescent. It is a mandatory obligation for the Namibia Red Cross Society to provide humanitarian assistance. Secretary General of Namibia Red Cross Razia Essack-Kauaria said: “The numbers of the assistance provided, will increase should the need call for it, and therefore Namibia Red Cross thanks BP Namibia for the generous contribution towards the polio campaign.” The first round of the polio campaign involved a total number of 1 244 vehicles with 1 400 teams involved. A total of 7 000 health workers including volunteers were engaged in the vaccination activities. The second round polio campaign is expected to kick-start on July 18 and end on July 20.