Kano State Government has recorded 106 cases of circulating vaccine drive polio virus type 2 cVDPV2 across 25 local government areas in the state.
The state commissioner for health Dr. Aminu Ibrahim Tsanyawa made the disclosure while briefing newsmen as part of activities to mark polio outbreak response (OBR1) and maternal newborn and child health week ( MNCHW) campaigns in the state.
According to Dr. Aminu,the global polio eradication initiative (GPEI) had introduced the improved and genetically more stable vaccine called the novel type 2 polio vaccine to respond to the outbreak.
The commissioner explained that over #2.8 billion naira had been set aside to finance the OBR1 and MNCHW activities.
He noted that the maternal new born and child health week had been integrated with the polio outbreak response week with interventions such as vitamin A supplementation, deworming, nutritional assessment, provision of mosquito nets among others.
Dr. Aminu Ibrahim Tsanyawa said the exercise would be conducted in more than 1,300 health facilities across the state as part of commitment by the state government in improving the maternal and child health indices of the state.
” I would like to call on parents,care givers and the pregnant women to utilize this golden opportunity given to them by government as these interventions are safe,effective and free”
Also speaking,the national incidence manager,national operation center Dr. Usman Sa’id reiterated the need for mass vaccination due to curtail the spread of circulating vaccine drive polio virus type 2.
He attributed the reemergence of the deadly disease to unsanitary environmental conditions and lack of personal hygiene.
“Kano is having over 70 cases in isolate and contacts that are spread across 15 to 16 local government’s”
The January 2022 kano polio outbreak response (OBR1) targets over 3.6 million under 5 children spread across the 44 local government areas in the state.
KHADIJAH ALIYU/KANO