Kwara commences polio vaccination for children

The Kwara State Government has started new round of polio immunisation campaign for children under the age of five years in the state.

The exercise will begin on Saturday 20th to Tuesday, 23rd April, 2024, which is the second in the series in the year, is expected to cover all the nooks and crannies of the state.

Speaking during the flag-off of the campaign, Dr Nusirat Elelu, the Executive Secretary of the State Primary Healthcare Development Agency, urged on all parents, religious houses, and schools to get the target children vaccinated within the stipulated time, adding that the vaccine is safe and efficacious.

Elelu said, “I enjoin all parents, caregivers, religious houses, schools, and Quranic institutions to make eligible children available for vaccination as the teams move from house to house, markets, religious houses, and schools.

“All children 0-5 years are expected to be vaccinated irrespective of their previous vaccination status. Let me reiterate that the vaccine is safe, efficacious, and does not have an overdose.”

She said poliomyelitis (polio) is a highly infectious viral disease that largely affects children under five years of age, adding that the virus can be transmitted through the fecal-oral route or, less frequently, by contaminated water or food.

Elelu stated that though Nigeria has been certified polio-free, there is a need to support the gains by ensuring that the most at-risk group is protected by increasing population immunity of eligible children through subsidiary and regular immunisation activities, such as this exercise.

She said, at least 2,034 vaccination teams will be going from house to house to carry out the exercise, with an assumption to vaccinate as many as children against polio.