Polio immunisation: Agency targets 41,460 children in Hadejia LGA

THE Jigawa Primary Health Care Development Agency (JPHCDA) on Monday said it targeted 41,460 children in Hadejia Local Government Area of the state for vaccination against poliomyelitis under the ongoing September round Outbreak Response.

The JPHCDA Manager in the area, Alhaji Yusuf Hakimi, disclosed this in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Hadejia.

He said that the immunisation exercise, which began on Sept. 1, was going on smoothly in the 11 wards of the council and would be concluded on Sept. 4.

The manager noted that 41,106 children were vaccinated during the June round of the campaign, representing 98 per cent of the expected target.

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He, however, dismissed speculations that the children were rejecting the vaccine.

“We have not recorded any case of rejection so far, and we are not expecting any because we had held several sensitisation and education with the parents, community and religious leaders.

“You will recall that during the June immunisation campaign, seven households rejected the vaccine for their 16 children, which we learnt was partly a protest against their inability to access the mosquito nets recently distributed in the area.

“But when we engaged them and district heads and religious leaders in talks, they were convinced and accepted the vaccine,” he said.

Hakimi commended government at all levels and other development partners for their roles in the smooth conduct of the exercise.