Adamawa Threatens Closure Of Schools Over Vaccine Hesitancy

The Adamawa State government has directed school proprietors to ensure that all students are vaccinated or risk their school being closed down.

The state deputy governor, Professor Kaletapwa Farauta, who is also chairperson of the State Task Force on Primary Health Care, issued the directives during the second quarter meeting of the task force in her office on Friday.

The deputy governor, represented by the commissioner for Education and Human Capital Development, Dr Umar Garba-Pella, said the vaccination campaign is a government policy that must be complied with in schools across the state.

Pella further explained that government would be hard on parents who deny their children access to vaccines in the state.

According to him, the state has recorded 106 per cent performance in the last maternal, newborn, and child health week of November and integrated measles rubella campaigns in October.

The state task force meeting on primary healthcare aims to review the collective efforts of enhancing health outcomes for the people and advocate greater commitment to improvement in their collective drive for greater success.

“Adamawa State government, therefore, vowed not to compromise its resolve to strengthen the health system, considering its importance,” he said.

The representative of the commissioner for Health and Human Services, Pharmacist Zira Mathias and the executive chairman, Primary Healthcare Development Agency, Dr Suleiman Saidu Bashir, thanked the state government for their unflinching support to health issues, extending the same to traditional and religious leaders, as well as health personnel for their contributions and professionalism.

Development partners, traditional and religious leaders, among others in their goodwill messages, reiterated commitment to sustainable collaboration in addressing the health issues to improve the health status of the people.