Get Guardian on GoogleThe Sokoto State Government has flagged off a sub-national immunisation campaign against polio across the state’s 23 local government areas, urging parents, traditional rulers and community leaders to support efforts to ensure that all eligible children are vaccinated.
The campaign, organised by the Sokoto State Primary Health Care Development Agency (SSPHCDA), is aimed at strengthening polio eradication efforts and improving immunisation coverage across the state.
The campaign was formally flagged off by the Commissioner for Health, Dr Faruku Abubakar Wurno, marking the commencement of the immunisation exercise across the state’s 23 local government areas.
Speaking at the state-level flag-off ceremony, the Executive Chairman of Kware Local Government, Ibrahim Attahiru Rugga, commended the state government and development partners for their continued support for immunisation programmes.
Rugga urged traditional institutions and parents to mobilise communities and ensure that eligible children receive the polio vaccine, stressing the need for collective commitment to protecting children’s health.
Similarly, the District Head of Durbawa called on residents to cooperate with vaccination teams and support the exercise, appreciating the state government and development partners for sustaining immunisation interventions across the state.
In his goodwill message, a representative of the African Field Epidemiology Network (AFENET) raised concerns over declining funding for polio eradication activities.
They noted that available resources were no longer sufficient to cover all locations for supervision and monitoring.
He said the funding constraints had made it necessary to prioritise selected areas for monitoring and supervision across the country.
Representatives of the World Health Organisation (WHO) and the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) reaffirmed their commitment to supporting the Sokoto State Government’s efforts towards polio eradication.
The Special Assistant to the Governor on Health, who represented the Commissioner for Health, also assured stakeholders of the state government’s continued commitment to the campaign.
He urged parents, traditional rulers and community stakeholders to cooperate with vaccination teams to ensure that no eligible child was left behind.
Earlier, the Acting Executive Secretary of SSPHCDA, Dr Bilyaminu Yari Sifawa, outlined the objectives of the campaign, emphasising the importance of reaching every eligible child to sustain progress towards polio eradication.
