The routine immunisation aimed at eradicating polio; however, before now, Jos North council was among the local governments in Plateau with a high prevalence ratio of polio due to noncompliance.

Journalists who monitored the ongoing routine immunization exercise in some Primary healthcare centers in Jos North LGA observed that the turnout was encouraging, but experts lament the shortage of consumables and manpower.

The Jos North local government immunization officer, Nimnan Zingzhi, confirmed to newsmen that the percentage coverage is high as the local government has the highest number of teams. “We have 298 teams deployed across the 20 wards of the local government. So far, from the review meeting we had yesterday (Sunday 27th April, 2025), we have achieved more than 70% coverage. That is a great improvement, and people are complying well.”

On addressing manpower and Consumables Shortage, Zingzhi, disclosed that as Immunization Officer, “it is our responsibility to notice any shortages and report them to higher authorities. For the shortage of consumables, we will do our best to liaise with the council chairman and ensure that those consumables are provided whenever there is a shortage.

“Regarding manpower, as we all know, there is a general shortage of manpower in the local government area. In facilities like this, those employed by the government are very few. However, we have volunteers — graduates from Colleges of Health, Nursing, and other institutions — who have not yet been employed. They come here as volunteers and assist. We are pleading with the government to look into the budget and employ more health workers so that we can have adequate manpower.

“But for the NIPDs campaign specifically, we are not facing manpower shortages because ad hoc staff were recruited from within the communities. So for the NIPDs, there is no problem with manpower. However, for other regular health services, we do experience shortages,” he mentioned.

World Health Organization (WHO), Jos North LGA facilitator, Ibrahim Auta, revealed the number of refusals in Jos North has drastically reduced, with many households that previously rejected vaccinations now only expressing partial non-compliance, such as blocking a few households per settlement. “At yesterday’s session, we had our Rapid Response Team (RRT) out in the field, and we were able to resolve some of the non-compliance issues.

“Currently, we do not have any significant issues with non-compliance, though some minor cases still exist. As of yesterday’s report, we have reached almost 60% of our target coverage on day two of the campaign”, Auta stated.

Babatunde Alice, Officer in Charge of Jos Township Primary Health Care, Tafawa Balewa Ward, Jos, disclosed the compliance rate is over 95% as they hardly have any issues of non-compliance.

According to her, “The main challenge we face is that most of the settlers here are business people. If we don’t reach them early in the day, we might miss some children, which would require us to revisit later in the evening. To minimize this, we select vaccinators who reside within these communities. Because they are familiar with the area and its inhabitants, they can easily follow up and ensure no child is missed.”

“Another challenge we encounter is the occasional inadequate supply of consumables, especially needles and syringes. These are specialized and not easily available in regular markets. This shortage affected us slightly earlier this year.

“While we appreciate the government’s efforts and all they are doing, we still appeal for a more consistent supply of vaccines and consumables. This way, we can continue to support the community effectively and ensure that no child is left behind.”

Rebecca Yilji Officer in Charge of Primary Health Care, Dogon Agogo, Ibrahim Katsina Ward, admits they conduct house-to-house mobilization to ensure people are informed and encouraged to bring their children for immunization.

During outreach programs, “we have received a good response from the community.”

“I encourage all parents to stay committed to bringing their children for routine immunization. It’s crucial for the health of their children, and it’s important that both mothers and fathers are involved in ensuring the immunizations are completed.”

Also lending her voice, Rifkatu Sunday, supervisor, Sarki Street community, Ibrahim Katsina ward, Jos North LGA, confirmed they normally started at 6:30am daily, and so far they have visited 96 households. “The compliance level has been excellent — everyone who was home agreed to have their children vaccinated. Some children were out at school, so we will revisit those households later.

“Our team consists of three people: a supervisor, a vaccinator, and a community leader. At the moment, this is enough for the task, but we will always be open to more hands if needed. This immunization campaign will last for four days, with two additional days set aside for follow-up visits”, she added.