Kwara Begins Fresh Polio Immunisation For Under-5 Children

The Kwara State government, on Saturday, flagged off another round of polio immunisation campaign for children under the age of five in the state.

The exercise, which is second in series in the year, is expected to cover all the nooks and crannies of the state.

At a press briefing in Ilorin, the state capital, the executive secretary of the State Primary Healthcare Development Agency (KWSPHCDA), Dr Nusirat Elelu, called 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.

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

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“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,” Elelu said.

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

Elelu, who said that Nigeria has been certified polio free, however, noted that there was the need to sustain the gains by ensuring that the most at risk group is protected by boosting population immunity of eligible children through supplementary and routine immunisation activities.

She also said that the state government has continued to partner with the development partners, such as WHO, UNICEF and NPHCDA, to sustain the immune system of the citizens.

Elelu disclosed that at least 2,034 vaccination teams will be going from house to house to carry out the exercise, with an expectation to vaccinate as many children against polio.

She said the agency recorded a huge success during the last polio campaign, which she said had covered at least 1.5 million children of the age bracket across communities, attributing the outcome to the support of the state government.