The United Nations Children’s Fund UNICEF says boosting routine immunization would eradicate polio and childhood killer diseases in Nigeria.
The Officer In Charge (OIC), of UNICEF Kano office Mr. Micheal Banda, made the indication during a media briefing and orientation on the polio campaign organized by UNICEF in collaboration with Kano state Primary Healthcare Development Agency.
According to him, strengthening the system and making routine polio immunization a top priority is critical to child survival, hence the urgent need for relevant stakeholders to collaborate and ensure that children below five years receive all vaccines.
Mr . Micheal described media as partners in progress that are crucial in managing misinformation about vaccines to promote uptake for immunity against childhood killer diseases.
“UNICEF would continue to support the primary healthcare system to ensure there’s at least one functional PHC in each LGA in Kano, Katsina and the country at large”
The Director General of Kano State Primary Healthcare Management Agency Muhammad Nasir Mahmoud pointed out that, the Kano state government KNSG has put modalities in place to ensure success as it has commenced a polio vaccine campaign in some selected areas.
He emphasized the need for public education and enlightenment, attributing the low immunization coverage in the last few years to non-functional primary healthcare centres.
“Currently in Kano, there is a global mission presence to curtail the situation and KNSG would provide all the necessary support to achieve the desired objectives “.
In his presentation titled: Polio Outbreak How Can we Ethically Engage with Affected Communities, the social and behaviour change specialist, UNICEF Kano field office Ogu Enemaku identified feedback and complaints, evidence-based advocacy and decision-making as some of the key elements of accountability to affected persons.
The state epidemiologist , Dr Shehu Abdullahi stressed that the polio virus invades the nervous system and can cause total paralysis within hours, saying that, it can be transmitted from one person to another mainly.
Some of the participants who spoke to Radio Nigeria Hafsat Bahara, Adamu Bichi and Aisha Ahmed described the briefing as apt.
Radio Nigeria reports that the polio immunization campaign will commence on Saturday 20th to 23rd April 2024, and targets children from 0 to 59 months across houses, communities, schools and relevant locations in Kano, Katsina and Jigawa states.
KHADIJAH ALIYU