Sokoto begins polio vaccination across 23 LGAs

The Sokoto State Government has launched a new polio immunisation campaign across its 23 local government areas, urging parents and community leaders to ensure that all eligible children receive the vaccine.

The campaign, known as the Sub-National Immunisation Plus Polio Campaign, was officially launched on Friday at the palace of the District Head of Durbawa in Kware Local Government Area.

The Executive Chairman of Kware LGA, Ibrahim Attahiru Rugga, urged traditional rulers and parents to make sure eligible children are vaccinated.

The District Head of Durbawa also called on residents to cooperate with vaccination teams.

At the event, a representative of the African Field Epidemiology Network, AFENET, expressed concern over reduced funding for polio activities, explaining that the available resources were no longer enough to cover all locations.

The representative said “the funding challenges had forced stakeholders to prioritise certain areas for supervision and monitoring across the country.”

Meanwhile, representatives of the World Health Organisation, WHO, and the United Nations Children’s Fund, UNICEF, reaffirmed their commitment to supporting Sokoto State’s efforts to eliminate polio.

The Special Assistant to the Governor on Health, who represented the Commissioner for Health, Dr Faruku Abubakar Wurno, while assuring participants that the state government would continue to support the campaign, appealed to parents and community leaders to work with vaccination teams.

The acting Executive Secretary of the Sokoto State Primary Health Care Development Agency, Dr Bilyaminu Yari Sifawa, emphasised the importance of ensuring that every eligible child was reached.