Stakeholders Advocate Strong Partnership For Polio Eradication

The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), the Jigawa State government, media, community leaders and other stakeholders have pledged to strengthen their partnership on the polio vaccination campaign to address gaps and enhance vaccination coverage in the state.

The stakeholders made the promise during a meeting to review last June’s polio vaccine exercise and share information on its outcome.

At the meeting, the executive secretary of the Jigawa State Primary Healthcare Board, Dr Sambo said the last exercise was a significant success; however, some challenges remain to be addressed.

Represented by the director of Public Health, Muhammad B. Umar, he said that during the last exercise, some parents rejected the vaccine. At the same time, some communities tried to use the vaccine as a means of expressing their anger or channelling their demands to the government regarding the execution of certain projects.

He noted that the vaccine is meant to protect children from unnecessary or preventable death or permanent disability; therefore, it should not be rejected or used as a bargaining chip by any parent, guardian or community.

“Yes, there are significant improvements, yet more public enlightenment and collaborative efforts are needed to ensure every parent understands the importance of the vaccine for the growth and survival of their children,” he said.

According to him, the Jigawa State Government has renovated hundreds of health facilities and established an effective cold chain to ensure the timely and safe distribution of the vaccine.

In his remarks, the Health Communication Officer of the board, Malam Shehu Ibrahim, disclosed that during the last exercise, over 2.2 million children were vaccinated.

Speaking on behalf of the working journalists, the chairman of the Correspondents’ Chapel, Comrade Muhammad Zangina, promised to strengthen public enlightenment about the vaccine’s significance to children’s survival.

The journalist also promised to continue participating in the preparation and implementation of the vaccination exercise to generate demand and gather feedback, enabling more effective policy formulation.

The UNICEF representative also promised to continue providing technical support and other interventions to achieve the sustainable eradication of polio in Jigawa State and across Nigeria.