Sokoto govt targets over one million children in fresh polio vaccination drive

In a major step toward eradicating polio, the Sokoto State Government has launched an intensive vaccination campaign aiming to immunise more than one million children under the age of five.

The four-day exercise, which commenced on April 26 and runs through April 30, targets the circulating variant poliovirus type 2 and forms part of Nigeria’s broader strategy to end all polio transmission by December 2025.

Adopting a house-to-house approach to ensure maximum coverage, health officials are moving through communities to vaccinate children. In Sokoto North Local Government Area, parents and caregivers turned out in large numbers, eagerly presenting their children for immunisation.

However, isolated pockets of resistance were recorded in Bazza area, where a few households rejected the vaccine. UNICEF facilitator, Latifa, monitoring the compliance rate, said non-compliant families would be reported to the Non-Compliance Committee for further action. She stressed the importance of full community participation to successfully eliminate polio.

Dr. Larai Aliyu Tambuwal, Executive Secretary of the Sokoto State Primary Health Care Development Agency, reaffirmed the state government’s commitment to reaching every eligible child.

She assured that robust measures were in place to address any challenges during the campaign.

The campaign was officially flagged off in Sokoto South Local Government Area by the Council Chairman, Mohammad Ya’u Danda, who, represented by an official, urged mothers and caregivers to ensure their children received the life-saving vaccine.

Similarly, in Wamakko Local Government Area, health workers were seen administering vaccines to enthusiastic families. UNICEF facilitator, Habibu Kilgori, disclosed that independent supervisors and civil society groups have been deployed to monitor the process and tackle issues like non-compliance and fake finger-marking.

Key partners, including UNICEF and the World Health Organisation, are closely monitoring the exercise to ensure transparency and effectiveness.

The outbreak response immunisation drive highlights the renewed resolve of Sokoto State and its partners to protect every child and finally consign poliovirus to history.

 

NIGERIAN TRIBUNE