- Receives 2.5 million doses of Novel Oral Polio vaccine(NOPV)
- Engages 160 Monitors
From Paul Orude, Bauchi
Bauchi State Government in collaboration with the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) and partners on Friday flagged off the 2025 polio Immunization Campaign slated for April 24 to 30, 2025 to vaccinate all zero-dose children under the age of five.
Declaring the polio campaign open in Tirwun community in Bauchi Local Government Area of the state, the Executive Chairman of Primary Healthcare Development Agency, Dr Rilwanu Mohammed said the state received a total of 2.5 million doses of Novel Oral Polio vaccine(NOPV) for the exercise.
The Executive Chairman disclosed that the state engaged 160 monitors, including Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) for the success of the polio vaccination exercise.
He said staff of the agency, led by himself, along with the commissioner for health, the Emir of Dass and UNICEF Chief of Field Office Bauchi would be on special monitoring exercise in three LGAs of Ganjuwa, Bauchi and Ningi where there is zero dose of polio immunization to ensure compliance.
He lamented that the state has 13 zero dose LGAs and the leasing state with zero dose of polio in the country
“So much work has been done by UNICEF, WHO and the state government that has provided counterpart funding of N8.8 million to support this exercise and other social mobilisation,” he said
“Why are we worried that we have non-compliance in some quarters, is because we don’t want to miss any child.
“We will also use the security in areas where there is insecurity to ensure that every child is vaccinated”
The Chief of Field Office (CFO), UNICEF, Dr Nuzhat Rafique assured of UNICEF’s commitment and support to the state to ensure that every child is immunized.
Rafique, who was who was represented by the UNICEF Head of Social Behaviour Change (SBC) Specialist, Mr Eki George, said more partners are supporting this year’s campaign to ensure total compliance during the exercise.
“The fight against polio is not over yet, with 13 zero dose LGAs and 7 LGAs that are compliant,” Rafique stated.
“This is a wakeup call to parents especially fathers to give consent to their wives to allow their children to be vaccinated because we cannot afford to miss any child this time around.
“As a buildup to this flag-off, we provided support to the State to ensure that this campaign was successful.
“We are working with the state to ensure that every concerned parent is reached no matter where the child is, to be vaccinated.
“We are calling on communities leaders to go out and supervise and see what is happening in your communities because we don’t want to have any vaccine non-compliance”
In his vote of thanks, the District Head of Tirwun community, Alhaji Muhammad Tirwun thanked UNICEF and other partners for supporting the state to ensure that every child is vaccinated during thus year’s campaign.
Tirwun called called on all the traditional rulers to participate actively during the monitoring to ensure compliance and charged Health workers to notify communities leaders in areas where experience resistance from parents.