Kano: 3.9 Million Children Set To Gain From Polio Vaccination Campaign

The Kano State Government has initiated a fresh polio vaccination campaign targeting 3.9 million children under five years old.

This was disclosed at a media dialogue on Thursday organized by the United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund (UNICEF) in Kano.

Speaking at the event, Dr. Nasiru Mahmoud, Director General of the Kano State Primary Health Care Management Board, stated that the campaign began with focused exercises in specific communities.

“The campaign has already started (Wednesday) in Kano, but this first phase is targeting about 11 selected local government areas where we are focusing on special locations.

“This initial phase is not a house-to-house campaign. Instead, we are setting up attraction points where children will be brought to receive the vaccine. This part of the campaign will run Wednesday and Thursday,” he explained.

“The main house-to-house campaign will begin on Saturday, the 14th of June, and will continue up until Wednesday, the 18th. This house-to-house exercise will cover all the 44 local government areas of Kano State and make sure that no child is left behind in the vaccination, Dr. Mahmoud added.

“We are targeting about 3.9 million children across all the 44 local governments in Kano.”

He expressed concern over the recent detection of a polio virus variant in parts of the state, including Warawa, Bunkure, Kano Municipal, and Nassarawa Local Government Areas.

“It is not a good sign. It tells us that many children are not properly protected, it means we are not getting something right,” he said.

Dr. Mahmoud emphasized that both routine immunization and supplementary campaigns are failing to reach a sufficient number of children.

“If we don’t act now, the progress we have made in the past could be reversed,” he warned.

Dr. Mahmoud stated that the state government is working diligently to ensure that by December 2025, no child in Kano is affected by polio.

Also speaking at the event, Mr. Rahama Rihood Mohammed Farah, Chief of UNICEF Field Office in Kano, urged the media to aid the campaign by disseminating accurate information on polio and routine immunization.

“Vaccines are available, they are safe and effective,” he said.

He emphasized that persistent misinformation, myths, and rumors continue to discourage many families from vaccinating their children against polio.

Mr. Farah appealed to journalists to raise public awareness and encourage parents to ensure their children are immunized.

He also highlighted the need for increased government funding to combat polio effectively.

Farah called on the Kano State Government to declare a State of Emergency on Polio and Routine Immunization and urged local government chairpersons to spearhead vaccination efforts within their communities.