October 01, (THEWILL) – The World Health Organisation (WHO) in collaboration with the Borno state government has commenced the immunisation of 2.5 million children against polio and other killer diseases across the state.
Speaking during the flagging off the 2024 third round Polio Outbreak Response (OBR), on Monday, in Jere LGA in Maiduguri, the Executive Secretary of Borno State Primary Healthcare Development Agency (BPHDA), Prof Arab Alhaji, said the intervention is timely.
Represented by the Director of Disease Control and Immunisation, Hajja Fati Ali, disclosed that the third-round polio vaccination campaign; could also ensure the safety of children below the age of five.
She urged partners in the health sector, stakeholders, traditional and religious leaders to collaborate in the fight against polio, cholera and other diseases that affect most of the children.
“Today’s event marks an opportunity for parents to protect their children against polio and other killer diseases in the state. We solicit support from all critical stakeholders to ensure this exercise is successful”, she appealed.
The State Coordinator of WHO, Dr Ibrahim Salisu, noted that this is another opportunity to vaccinate the children in protecting them, by interrupting the transmission of the vaccine-derived polio virus.
“Early this year, we implemented two rounds of a vaccination campaign to respond to a polio outbreak with remarkable success.
“We’ve been providing technical support, including data tools, and training to the state government. Besides the technical support, adding that 390 vaccination team members.
According to him, the team comprises 1,935 house-to-house vaccination teams, 622 fixed post-vaccinators and 368 special teams.
Salisu said the special teams are to vaccinate children outside houses, streets, markets and open spaces. The coordinator noted that reaching every settlement team is a strategy for accessing children in security-compromised settlements with the support of hunters and civilian JTF.
He said that the UN health agency is paying for logistics and stipends for all the vaccination teams in the 27 local councils of the state.
“We urge all traditional and religious leaders to sensitise their subjects about the benefits of this vaccination”, he said.
District Head of Old Maiduguri, Alhaji Abba Abubakar Shehu Garbai, encouraged all the vaccination teams to go house to house in all the nooks and crannies of the state, stating that this will ensure all eligible children are vaccinated.
