In a significant step towards securing a healthier future for children, Bano Usamatu, a respected traditional ruler and community leader in Nasarawa, Itas-Gadau local government area of Bauchi State, has successfully mobilised residents to embrace polio vaccination.
In an interview with our correspondent yesterday at his palace, Usamatu, a retired health expert who rose to the rank of Director at the Bauchi State Primary Healthcare Development Board, said the community had previously battled widespread vaccine hesitancy.
He said that he tapped into his wealth of experience as a health expert to engage and convince skeptical households to accept the lifesaving polio vaccine.
“At the moment, I can confidently inform you that no household head rejects the polio vaccine in this community. The era of rejection is gone. We want to save the future of our children,” Usamatu declared.
He praised UNICEF and the Bauchi State Government for their critical support in helping the community overcome vaccine resistance, describing their efforts as instrumental to the breakthrough.
However, Usamatu called for additional training for the ad hoc staff responsible for administering the vaccines, stressing that better capacity-building would strengthen immunisation efforts even further.
With the end of polio vaccine rejection in Nasarawa community, the fight against the crippling disease has gained renewed momentum in Bauchi State.
