Makarfi District Head urges community to embrace hygiene, immunisation

THE District Head of Makarfi in Kaduna State, Alhaji Adamu Abdullahi, on Tuesday urged people in the area to adopt good hygiene practices and accept polio immunisation for their children.

He made the call during his tour of his district to sensitise the people to the need to allow their wives access antenatal care so as to minimise maternal death.

Abdullahi, who is also the title holder of Silikin Zazzau, said the call became imperative in view the importance of healthy living for mothers, children and the family at large.

He said: “I want to use this medium to call on all people under my domain to take the issue of antenatal care very seriously to reduce maternal death.

“As husbands, you also have a role to play by encouraging your pregnant wives to visit hospitals and health facilities for antenatal care, because, it is key to safe and sound delivery.

“In case of any complication at the primary health care centres, the affected women will be referred to secondary facility for urgent and proper intervention with a view to saving lives.”

The district head explained that the routine polio immunisation does not only prevent poliomyelitis but also other six child-killer diseases.

According to him, polio immunisation prevents diseases that infect children under the age of five years and the vaccine contains some vitamins for the healthy growth of children.

Abdullahi enjoined them to collect immunisation cards from the health workers administering the polio vaccine.

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“The essence of this card is for those monitoring the exercise from outside Nigeria to confirm that children were actually given the vaccine,” he added.

The district head also urged the people to give their personal hygiene special consideration in order to live a decent and healthy life.

“I also want to call on all of you to prioritise the issue of hygiene. Remember, Islam emphasises the need for us to be clean in mind, clean in clothes and ensure clean environment,” he added.

Abdullahi emphasised that hygiene is antidote to common illnesses such as Malaria, Typhoid and dysentery, adding that it helps one to reduce visits to health centres for medical attention, thereby saving scarce funds for the family.

Earlier, the Village Head of Makarfi, Alhaji Kabir Abdullahi-Sada had identified improper upbringing of children as one of the major challenges facing the area and called for necessary measures to encourage parents to live up to their responsibilities.

He reminded parents in the area that they would account for their laxity before God, as proper upbringing of their children is a fundamental responsibility placed on them by the Creator.

The village head appealed for the construction of roads, hospitals and provision of electricity to Unguwan Geri and Unguwan Korau wards, as well as drainage system in Makarfi town to avert flood.