BAUCHI SETS TARGET TO VACCINATE 2.6 MILLION CHILDREN AGAINST POLIO
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By; Ganiyat Sunmola
The Bauchi State Government has announced plans to vaccinate about 2.6 million children in the ongoing Supplemental Immunisation Plus Days (SIPDs) campaign using the Oral Polio Vaccine (OPV).
The Executive Chairman of the Bauchi State Primary Health Care Board, Dr Rilwanu Mohammed, made this known during the official launch of the exercise at Bayan Fada Primary Health Care Centre in Bauchi.
He revealed that approximately 1.7 million vaccine doses have already been distributed across the state to support the campaign, which is taking place simultaneously in all 20 local government areas.
Mohammed noted that trained vaccination teams have been deployed to conduct house-to-house visits to ensure every eligible child is reached during the exercise.
He further explained that the integrated campaign targets children aged 0 to 59 months with the polio vaccine, while those between one and 59 months will also receive Azithromycin to protect against common life-threatening childhood illnesses.
“We are confident that this phase of the campaign will greatly reduce the number of zero-dose children in Bauchi State,” he said.
In a related development, the Chief of UNICEF Bauchi Field Office, Dr Nuzhat Rafique, expressed concern over gaps recorded in previous rounds, disclosing that over 2,000 children missed vaccination due to parental refusal.
She urged stronger community mobilisation and increased awareness efforts to tackle vaccine hesitancy and improve acceptance of immunisation programmes.
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