Dr. Assegid Kebede traveling through Somalia for vaccine efforts
One Polio Expert Protecting Children in Somalia
Dr. Tessema Assegid Kebede
SCROLL DOWN FOR FULL STORY
Dr. Kebede supporting a polio campaign in Garowe, Somalia
Credit: Dr. Tessema Kebede
Between February and March 2024 alone, five million Somali children were vaccinated for polio, reaching more than 90% of the vaccination goal in the two campaigns conducted during this timeline.
Senior Epidemiologist Dr. Kebede and other members of The Task Force’s Polio Surge Capacity Team have contributed to this progress in Somalia, as well as in many other countries. Over the last five years, the team’s campaigns, detection and response initiatives have helped reduce the disease in 16 countries.
Dr. Kebede has spent decades of his life working toward global polio eradication and he uses the connections, resources and experiences he has built to help children in some of Somalia’s hardest-to-reach areas.
“The goal is to ensure no child is left unvaccinated, even under challenging circumstances,” he said.
“We start by planning at the lowest possible micro-level, then identify and train local vaccinators and supervisors in those areas. There is a lot of migration that happens in Somalia, and through thousands of frontline workers, we track population movements as much as possible to include these groups in our planning process and vaccination campaigns.”
To reach unvaccinated people, Task Force Consultants and partners negotiate with influential leaders known as clan elders. Through them, the vaccination team gains permission to protect the communities they lead.
Dr. Kebede supporting a polio campaign in Garowe, Somalia
Credit: Dr. Tessema Kebede.
Dr. Kebede’s unwavering commitment comes at a high personal cost. He spends the majority of the year away from his family, living in a converted storage container alongside other humanitarian workers in Mogadishu. When he travels in Mogadishu, he must wear safety gear to protect himself. Despite these challenges, he remains steadfast that his contributions have a global impact.
“Polio somewhere is polio everywhere,” he said. “We are all connected. We are one. Whatever is happening in one city in one country – Mogadishu, for example – could happen in Washington.”
Dr. Kebede at The Task Force’s annual polio retreat in January 2025
Dr. Kebede’s work underscores the critical role of healthcare workers serving countries in conflict. He said his motivation stems from being part of a global force to eradicate a disease that has plagued humanity for centuries and is on track to become the second disease in the world to be eradicated. Polio cases have dropped by 99% since 1998.
“This is very special, working for polio. The whole of humankind has been able to eradicate only one disease, which is smallpox. That was when I was a student. Now, the second history is polio, and being part of that is really motivating.” His message for the future is clear: “Let’s keep going, let’s keep strong and finish the job.”