Lucky Obukohwo, Reporting
The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) has raised the concern over the rise of Polio, saying nearly 2.3 million children in Nigeria have not received routine immunisation (zero dose), making them predisposed to the outbreak.
UNICEF’s Chief of Bauchi Field Office, Dr. Nuzhat Rafique, said this during an awareness road walk in Bauchi, to mark this year’s World Polio Day.
According to her, out of this figure, about 22,000 children in Bauchi State have not received routine immunisation thereby risking a polio outbreak.
“For over two decades, UNICEF has supported Bauchi state in its Polio Eradication Initiatives and Immunisation Plus Days campaigns.
“This year alone, we have supported three states with Polio Outbreak Response campaigns and two targeted local Outbreak Response in four LGAs with funding for vaccine, logistics, social mobilisation and technical assistance.
“It is heartwarming to note that Bauchi has been free of wild polio virus since the last case in 2013; however, we are still contending with the variant form of the virus.’’
Rafique said that in spite of the success, 2.3 million children in Nigeria and around 22,000 children in Bauchi State had not received routine immunisation.
She said that the outbreaks of circulating vaccine-derived poliovirus continue to persist
She further said that child deaths and physical disabilities caused by polio could be banished from the world if the stakeholders continued to put all hands on deck to stop the outbreaks.
The UNICEF said every child in every household must receive the vaccine in order to completely eliminate polio, adding, ‘’unfortunately, thousands of children are still missing out. The global decline in childhood immunisation coverage has led to rising outbreaks, even in countries that have been polio-free for decades.
“The battle against polio is particularly difficult in the most challenging environments, yet eradication is attainable.
“UNICEF delivers over one billion doses of polio vaccines each year, the largest portion of global vaccine deliveries,” she said.
Rafique further urged the government at all levels to prioritise vaccination for all children against polio, especially in hard-to-reach areas and communities with low immunisation rates.
She urged the government to keep polio eradication on the front burner of political discourse while leveraging innovative solutions and coordinated actions to enhance the quality of immunisation campaigns.
“We ask the Bauchi Emirate Council to support the mobilisation of parents and caregivers to avail their children to benefit from vaccinations and to support the resolution of non-compliance during and after campaigns,” she said.