Adamawa Targets 130,000 Children In Fresh Polio Vaccination

The Adamawa State Government said it is targeting 130,000 children aged between zero and 59 months for vaccination against polio in Gombi and Fufore local government areas as part of efforts to close immunity gaps and prevent the transmission of the disease.

The exercise, scheduled for November 5 to 12, 2026, is being implemented under the Subnational Immunisation Plus Days (NIPDs), a targeted intervention designed to strengthen children’s immunity in high-risk communities across 19 states of the federation.

The director of Disease Control and Immunisation at the Adamawa State Primary Healthcare Development Agency, Dr James Vasumu Jacob, disclosed this during a media dialogue organised ahead of the vaccination exercise.

Jacob explained that the selection of Gombi and Fufore followed an assessment of their immunisation coverage, disease surveillance records and the history of circulating poliovirus in the two local government areas.

According to him, the exercise would prioritise children between zero and 59 months, particularly those living in communities where routine immunisation coverage remains inadequate and the risk of poliovirus transmission is considered significant.

He stressed that the campaign would complement routine immunisation services rather than replace them, adding that reaching every eligible child remained central to the state’s disease prevention strategy.

The World Health Organisation’s Immunisation Focal Person, Babangida Usman, reaffirmed the organisation’s commitment to support the Adamawa State Government and its partners to achieve effective implementation of the campaign.

Usman described polio as a highly infectious disease that primarily affects children under five and can cause irreversible paralysis, warning that children missed during vaccination could sustain transmission within their communities.