Polio eradication: UNICEF pledges continued support to Zamfara govt

The United Nations Children’s Education Fund (UNICEF) has pledged to continue supporting the Zamfara State Government in its efforts to eradicate polio, and lauded the state for going 20 months without a single recorded case of the virus.

This was disclosed by the Chief of Field Office, Sokoto, through UNICEF Social Specialist, Isah Ibrahim, on Friday evening during a media briefing as part of preparations for the upcoming polio vaccination campaign in the state.

“We are back today to seek your support for the June polio vaccination campaign that commences this Saturday. On behalf of UNICEF Nigeria, I want to congratulate the Zamfara State Government on sustaining a major milestone in the fight against polio: 20 months without a single recorded case of the virus,” he said.

“Our goal is to reach every child in Zamfara with the Oral Polio Vaccine. The menace of the poliovirus has crippled our children for centuries, until the Oral Polio Vaccine was discovered.”

He urged the media to help reach every single caregiver in Zamfara with the message to come together to retain Zamfara as a zero polio virus state.

“Your support made the last round successful, even though we still have many challenges remaining in our goal of reaching every child with the Oral Polio Vaccine and ending poliovirus transmission by 2025,” he stated.

“We also have the Day of the African Child coming up on 17th June. We hope that Zamfara will be able to mark the day on Tuesday by telling the world that it has successfully vaccinated all children below the age of five against the polio virus in this campaign,” he mentioned.

The Zamfara State Commissioner of Health, Dr Nafisa Mohammed Maradun, disclosed that data from the NPHCDA indicates there has been no single case of variant polioviruses in Zamfara State since 2024.

“We have all the right tools. We know that the Oral Polio Vaccine has brought down the incidence of paralysis due to polioviruses by 99.9% around the world,” she said.

According to her, the Zamfara State Government has zero tolerance for fake finger marking, which is a deplorable practice by some health workers who mark the fingers of children without actually administering the Oral Polio Vaccine.

“Zamfara State Government is dedicated to ensuring that the teams comprise people who are from the community, and I will not leave any stone unturned to ensure the same,” she warned.

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