Kano State Government has said that in the routine immunisation exercise that has just started, it is determined to ensure that over 3.5 million under age five children are adequately captured for the polio immunisation to prevent the spread of the virus.
Speaking during National Immunisation Exercise against polio held in Garin Malam local government area of the state, the state commissioner of health Dr. Kabiru Getso, while flagging off the polio vaccine exercise, said the flag off was as a result of four children that missed the immunisation during the last round in the area
The commissioner who noted that, for almost 32 months, Kano State had not recorded new polio case, then commended federal and state governments, traditional rulers and other stakeholders for cooperating with health workers towards ensuring that all children were immunised
Meanwhile, the Dawakin Tofa local government council immunised a total of 24,956 children out of total target of 77, 626 children earmarked to be immunised, just within a day that the exercise commenced.
Speaking with the Local Immunisation Officer (LIO) of Dawakin Tofa Local Government, Alhaji Haruna Isah Bako, disclosed that the council recorded 32 per cent of immunisation of children in one day.
He further stated that in order to convinced parents to release their children for immunisation, the traditional rulers, district and ward heads were used to educate and enlighten parents on the danger inherent in their not allowing their children to be immunised.
Alhaji Bako added that out of total of 28,105 vaccine doses received from the state government for day 1, 26, 480 were used adding that a total of 29 households, with 42 children did not comply, but when revisited 13 households with 18 children got immunised.
He then promised that with the commitment being demonstrated by all officers who were engage in routine immunisation, the council would certainly achieved its target.
He commended the state governor, Dr Abdullahi Umar Ganduje, for ensuring that all necessary logistic, especially drugs that were provided towards achieving success in the programme.
The state Commissioner of Health, Dr Kabiru Getso, stated that the exercise would last for four days, adding that enough vaccines were provided as well as the counterpart from the 44 local government areas to ensure full implementation of the polio immunisation across the state.
He urged the health officials engaged in the campaingn and the relavant partners to ensure that, there are no cases of resistance in the recent time in the State.