The Gombe State Primary Health Care Development Agency is taking proactive measures to curb the spread of polio in the state with a new outbreak response initiative.
State Epidemiologist, Dr Nuhu Bile, revealed this during an orientation meeting with journalists and social media influencers on Tuesday.
According to him, the state has recorded six circulating vaccine-derived polio cases recently in Dukku and Akko local government areas, prompting the agency to embark on another round of immunisation every three months.
He said the repetition of vaccination would ensure children are protected from this disease, adding that it would be administered to all children, regardless of previous vaccination status.
“We are embarking on another round of outbreak response because of the fact that there is an increasing number of cases of circulating vaccine-derived polio. So we feel that periodically, every three months, we should go out and ensure that we immunise our children.
“The beautiful thing about this oral polio vaccine is that you can’t really say that you have given an overdose to children. It is something you can repeatedly do after every three months for two reasons: one, to ensure that you immunise children, and then when you repeat it, those who missed the previous round will definitely get administered,” he said.
He called on parents to take advantage of the “valuable vaccine,” which would start on 12th December and last for four days, to protect their children from polio.
The epidemiologist also assured that if there are adverse events, unexpected reactions, side effects, or complications that may occur after receiving a vaccine, free care would be available.
Also speaking, the Deputy State Health Education Officer, Raymond Paul George, explained that the meeting aimed to update journalists and influencers on the State Immunisation Plus Days, with the goal of spreading the message to the general public.
He urged the media to set an agenda on immunisation in the state, making it a part of every parent’s life.
