Bauchi State Government has received over 2.5 million doses of the Novel Oral Polio Vaccine (NOPV) for its April immunisation campaign, targeting children aged zero to 59 months across the state.
Bappa Mohammed Jika, the State Cold Chain Officer at the Bauchi State Primary Health Care Board, confirmed the arrival of the vaccines during an inspection of the storage facility at the state Cold Store, located at Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University Teaching Hospital (ATBUTH) in Bauchi.
To enhance awareness and participation, the state Primary Health Care Board plans to utilise traditional and social media platforms, along with Advocacy, Communication, and Social Mobilisation (ACSM) teams, to encourage parents and guardians to bring their children for vaccination.
Dr Nuzhat Rafique, Chief of UNICEF’s Bauchi Field Office, stated that the campaign would commence in high-risk areas on April 24, with other locations following from April 26 to 29, 2025. She described the initiative as a crucial step toward polio eradication in Bauchi State and Nigeria.
According to Dr Rafique, the state has 13 local government areas with approximately 556,000 zero-dose children—those who have never received any form of vaccination.
Patrick Akor, Health Officer at UNICEF’s Bauchi Field Office, said in addition to the NOPV, the state would administer Routine Immunisation (RI) as part of the April Inactivated Poliovirus Vaccine (IPV) exercise.
He emphasized that all 20 Local Government Area (LGA) teams would be adequately supplied with vaccines throughout the implementation process.
RN
