The Bauchi state government with the support of the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) and other development partners have flagged off the 2025 polio immunisation campaign in the state.
Speaking during the flagging off at Tirwun community in Bauchi metropolis on Friday, Dr Rilwanu Mohammed, the State Executive Chairman, Primary Healthcare Development Agency, said the campaign is aimed to vaccinate all under five children in the state.
According to him, special attention would be given to zero-dose children, which are those children who have not received any vaccination before.
Mohammed explained that Bauchi state received a total of 2.5 million doses of Novel Oral Polio vaccine(NOPV) for the exercise, saying the state engaged the services of 160 monitors, including CSOs that will ensure the smooth success of the polio vaccination exercise.
He said that the state's Commissioner for Health, Emir of Dass, himself as well as the UNICEF's Chief of Bauchi Field Office would be on special monitoring exercise in three LGAs of Ganjuwa, Bauchi and Ningi where there were zero dose of polio immunisation to ensure absolute compliance.
"We are moving with the security, the DSS, the police with armoured vehicles to ensure compliance.
“We are not doing this exercise like how we used to do it before where we will be begging and pleading.
“This time around, it will be compulsory that all children must be vaccinated and anybody that refuses to cooperate will be arrested.
“So much work has been done by UNICEF, WHO and the state government that has provided counterpart funding to support this exercise and other social mobilisation.
"Why are we worried that we have non-compliance in some quarters, is because we don't want to miss any child. We will also use the security in areas where there is insecurity to ensure that every child is vaccinated,” he said.
Also Speaking, Dr. Nuzhat Rafique, Chief of UNICEF's Bauchi Field Office, said that UNICEF was committed to supporting the state in the polio vaccination to ensure that every child is immunised.
She assured that more development partners were supporting the exercise this time around to ensure that there was total compliance during the exercise.
Represented by the UNICEF Head of Social Behaviour Change Specialist, Mr Eki George, Rafique said that the fight against polio was not over yet in the state, calling on all fathers to give consent to their wives for their children to be vaccinated.
"As a buildup to this flag-off, we provided support to the state to ensure that this campaign runs smoothly for us in Bauchi, which is our focus. We are working with the state to ensure that every concerned parent is reached no matter where the child is,” she said.
In his vote of thanks, the District Head of Tirwun community, Alh. Muhammad Tirwun lauded UNICEF and other partners for supporting the state in ensuring that every child is vaccinated during the exercise.
He further called on all the traditional rulers to participate actively during the monitoring to ensure compliance.
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