Niger state faces polio threat, there is need for urgent vaccination drive - UNICEF
Niger State risks a polio outbreak if urgent steps are not taken to vaccinate children, the UNICEF has warned, citing a surge in cases in neighbouring states. The agency’s Social
Niger State risks a polio outbreak if urgent steps are not taken to vaccinate children, the UNICEF has warned, citing a surge in cases in neighbouring states.
The agency’s Social and Behaviour Change Specialist at the Kaduna Field Office, Ibrahim Mohammed, raised the alarm during a one-day media engagement in Minna.
He emphasised that unvaccinated children remain highly vulnerable and called for immediate action as a statewide immunisation campaign commences.
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UNICEF appealed to families to take advantage of both door-to-door and fixed-post vaccination teams deployed across the state.
Reviewing the polio situation in Bauchi, Kebbi, Kwara, Zamfara and Sokoto states, Mohammed warned that the rising number of cases in areas bordering Niger State poses a significant public health threat.
“With the cases in neighbouring states, Niger stands the risk of having a polio outbreak if proactive measures are not taken. The increasing number of cases in states bordering Niger poses a significant threat to children in the state, particularly those yet to be vaccinated,” he told journalists.
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He reminded participants that there is no cure for polio and that immunisation remains the most effective way to prevent it while urging parents and guardians to ensure their children receive the vaccine during the ongoing campaign.
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In his remarks, Mohammed Usman, State Health Educator with the Niger State Primary Health Care Development Agency, said the exercise will be conducted across all 25 local government areas.
The programme, he explained, is designed to contain any potential spread of the virus stressing that full protection requires multiple doses of the vaccine, and missed vaccinations could allow continued transmission.
He noted that the campaign comes at a critical moment when cross-border movement and low immunisation coverage in parts of the region have heightened the risk of the disease re-emerging in Niger State.
