Bauchi residents troop out for polio vaccine as government targets 2.5m kids

Umaru Sanda, resident of Iyaka Community in Darazo bringing his children for vaccination. Photo: RAUF OYEWOLE 

By Rauf Oyewole

Residents of Bauchi State are trooping out to receive the ongoing polio vaccine by the state and the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) in a bid to eliminate polio.

Bauchi State Government and UNICEF had on Friday launched the polio campaign to cover the 13 zero dose local government areas and where there are vaccine rejection. 

Our Correspondent observed that kids were being presented to health workers at Darazo town, Iyaka and communities in Itas. 

According to the Director of Primary Health Care in Darazo, Iliya Ishaku, there has been total compliance in uptake of the vaccine among the previously dose rejected areas. 

He said “I want to say that from our exercise that commenced yesterday, we have been receiving reports of impressive compliance, even among the vaccine rejection areas. I will attribute this to the efforts of our traditional leaders and our teams who are mobilising people for this exercise. 

“Anywhere we receive a report of rejection, we deploy our social mobilisation team to talk to the opinion leader there and we move there the following day, and that is how we gain access to vaccinate the kids there.”

One of the parents, Umaru Sanda, who was seen submitting his three kids expressed readiness to convince many of his friends to submit their children for the polio vaccine. “I have nine children and seven of them were able to complete their doses except the first two kids when I was not around.”

It was observed that vaccination team were in Darazo East and West in different households.