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From Timothy Olanrewaju, Maiduguri
Borno State is set to commence an emergency polio vaccination campaign from November 7 to 12 following fresh cases of circulating variant poliovirus type 2 (cVPV2), raising concerns about the continued vulnerability of children in communities affected by insecurity and gaps in routine immunisation.
The outbreak response, which will precede the December routine immunisation exercise, is aimed at protecting children aged zero to 59 months and preventing further transmission of the virus, particularly in communities where access to vaccination services has remained difficult.
UNICEF Social and Behaviour Change Officer, Hajiya Zainab Muhammad, disclosed the development at a media dialogue with journalists and stakeholders in Maiduguri, where she said the vaccination response had become necessary following recently confirmed cases in Konduga and Mobbar local government areas.
Muhammad described routine immunisation as critical to ending the transmission of poliovirus and urged traditional rulers, religious leaders, community organisations and parents to support mobilisation efforts.
“The only way to end polio is through routine immunisation of children under 59 months,” she said.
She appealed to community leaders to encourage parents and caregivers to make eligible children available for vaccination, stressing that sustained participation was necessary to protect vulnerable populations.
Also speaking, Rotary Field Officer for Borno State, Hajiya Hadiza Waziri, warned that the recent cases demonstrated the continuing risk of transmission to neighbouring communities.
“We need to strengthen our routine immunisation. We urge mothers and guardians to make their children available for this exercise,” she said.
Waziri explained that children aged zero to 59 months were the target population, assuring parents that the polio vaccine was safe and effective in protecting children against paralysis.
She said the cases recorded in Konduga and Damasak in Mobbar Local Government Area, which share boundaries with other communities, underscored the need for increased surveillance, public awareness and vaccination coverage.
According to her, the outbreak response would involve targeted vaccination activities, while Nganzai, Mobbar, Abadam, Konduga and Monguno remained among the local government areas requiring attention because of cases recorded previously or recently.
She also identified Maiduguri Metropolitan Council and Bayo among locations mentioned in the planned vaccination response.
Waziri said that although Borno had eliminated wild poliovirus, the state continued to contend with circulating variant poliovirus type 2, particularly in communities with inadequate immunisation coverage.
“We have ended the wild poliovirus but we are still dealing with the Circulating Variant Poliovirus Type 2 in the state,” she stated.
Polio is a highly infectious viral disease that attacks the nervous system and can cause irreversible paralysis, particularly among children under five years of age.
Nigeria was certified free of wild poliovirus on August 25, 2020, after more than three years without a reported case. The last recorded case of wild poliovirus in the country occurred in Borno State in August 2016.
Despite that achievement, circulating vaccine-derived poliovirus type 2 continues to pose a public health challenge in under-immunised communities.
The prolonged security crisis in Borno has also complicated access to some settlements, making routine vaccination, disease surveillance and community mobilisation more difficult.
UNICEF and Rotary therefore urged parents, traditional institutions, religious leaders and other stakeholders to support the campaign and ensure that eligible children were reached.
