Katsina State Government has said it is targeting to immunise more than three million children against the polio virus across the 34 local government Areas of the state.

Executive Secretary of State Primary Healthcare Development Agency (PHCDA), Dr Shamsudeen Yahaya, stated this in an interview with newsmen.

Yahaya spoke at a one-day interactive session between the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), the state government, and reporters ahead of the commemoration of World Immunisation Day.
He said the immunisation exercise would be conducted for four days, from the 26 to the 29 of April and would also see another mop-up exercise that would last for another two days.

He said the exercise would involve 3,700 independent monitors that incident teachers and academicians, who would work to ensure the vaccine is administered according to specifications.
He said efforts are being made to create awareness through the media and other outlets for parents to come out with their children to receive the vaccination.

He said the awareness creation would also aim at countering misconceptions some parents have against the vaccine, adding that traditional rulers, and civil society organisations, among others, would be included in the process.

Yahaya also said the state has 1,336 primary healthcare facilities that provide routine immunisation across the state, with 158 of them revitalised with the provision of facilities, including ambulances.

He added that another 102 facilities would soon be revitalised, even as he encouraged parents to come out with their children to get immunised on the days of the exercise.

On his part, UNICEF Nutrition Manager, Kano, Dr Karanveer Singh, lamented that one case of the polio virus has been discovered in Danmusa Local Government Area.

Singh, however, added that efforts must be made to ensure its eradication across the state, even as he reiterated UNICEF’s commitment to collaborate with the state government.