Rotary partners council on vaccination to check polio resurgence

Rotary Club of Ogudu GRA has partnered with Kosofe Council of Lagos State to vaccinate children against poliomyelitis.

Speaking at the weekend, during the exercise at Kosofe Local Government Primary Health Centre in Lagos, president of the club, Tokunbo Opanubi, explained that the global non-profit organisation was commemorating the 2022 World Polio Day by vaccinating babies in Ogudu community to ensure the disease does not resurface in Nigeria, following the clean bill of health to the country by the World Health Organisation (WHO).

He said the club was collaborating with the council to support the community through provision of quality healthcare to the people and prevention of diseases, which is part of its focus.

His words: “We are providing vaccination for children in Ogudu community to prevent polio from resurfacing. We will continue to collaborate with the Federal, state and local governments in ensuring that all the mothers are reached out to and sensitised to bring out their children for vaccination.”

Also speaking, chairman, Polio Plus Committee, Gbemileke Afolabi, noted that though the virus had been stamped out of Nigeria, the international organisation remained at the forefront of forestalling its resurgence.

He recalled that Rotary had contributed hundreds of millions of dollars to ensure polio was stamped out of the world.

According to him, Nigeria is, currently, at zero level, pledging that the club will continue to raise awareness and support health personnel to keep polio at bay forever.

He said the club’s road walk was to sustain awareness in the community by regularly sensitising the people, especially mothers on the need to make their babies available for vaccination.

“Polio is a very dangerous disease that deforms the limbs. It is very important that mothers are very careful and ensure their babies get vaccinated in due time against poliomyelitis so that it does not cause any damage to babies and their quality of life.

“The awareness against polio has been very high in the country. Rotary has been very supportive in that aspect by working with government agencies.

“We are working with Kosofe Local Government to vaccinate babies at the Primary Health Centre (PHC) at no cost. This is why we have been successful in stamping out polio out of Nigeria,” Afolabi added.