• Immunises 1.4m children against preventable diseases
Yobe State has recorded 9,854 people living with HIV/AIDS who are currently on life-saving treatment as the government works to sustain its low prevalence rate of 0.4 per cent in 2025.

Executive Secretary of the Yobe State Agency for the Control of AIDS (YOSACA), Dr Jibril Damazai, disclosed the figures during the commemoration of World HIV/AIDS Day in Damaturu. He said the state maintains the lowest HIV prevalence rate in Nigeria, attributing the feat to aggressive and innovative prevention strategies.

Damazai noted that more than 75 per cent, or 7,390, of those on treatment are now healthy and unable to transmit the virus. He added that the theme for this year’s event, “Overcoming Disruption, Transforming the AIDS Response,” aligns with the state’s target to further reduce its prevalence rate from 0.4 per cent to 0.1 per cent by 2035.

“The agency is redoubling its efforts to lower the prevalence rate to 0.25 per cent by 2030,” he said, explaining that recent measures include extensive community outreach and technology-driven routine HIV testing.

He revealed that the state government has procured 120 million test kits to identify undiagnosed individuals through a house-to-house approach. With an estimated 80 per cent reduction in global HIV funding, Damazai said Yobe is leading Nigeria’s transition to domestically funded prevention efforts. He commended Governor Mai Mala Buni for boosting YOSACA’s funding by 400 per cent and upgrading the agency’s office infrastructure.

IN a related development, the state’s Primary Health Care Board (YPHCB) has immunised 1.4 million children against preventable diseases across all 17 local government areas, following reports of eight new polio cases in border communities near the Niger Republic.

Director of Immunisation and Disease Control, Dr Umar Chiroma, disclosed this during a media dialogue marking World Polio Day in Damaturu. He said the vaccination campaign, which ran from April to October 2025, covered diseases such as polio and cholera.

Of the eight polio cases recorded, he explained that three children were infected through contaminated water from dugout ponds in the Nguru wetlands, while two others contracted the virus through contact with migrants from Diffa Province in neighbouring Niger Republic.Chiroma said cross-border migration and settlements along the Kumadugu/Yobe River continue to pose major obstacles to disease prevention.

“Children fetching water from the oasis may come into contact with the poliovirus, which can be spread across border communities by wind or by the movement of people and livestock,” he said.

He added that previously inaccessible areas such as Tarmuwa, Jakusko, and the hard-to-reach Tulwotulwo border community were covered this year, with over 25,000 children vaccinated despite challenging desert terrain.

Chiroma reaffirmed Yobe’s commitment to improving routine immunisation, saying the state aims to raise coverage from 17.5 per cent to 80 per cent by 2026, working with UNICEF and other global health partners.

At the event, Dr Uche Anunne highlighted persistent challenges in immunisation delivery, including infrastructure deficits, vaccine hesitancy, a limited healthcare workforce, and low literacy levels among caregivers, citing communities such as Nayinawa in Damaturu as examples.