Lagos begins vaccination to tackle new polio outbreak

polio-vaccination-

FILE PHOTO: Polio Vaccination

It is no longer news that new cases of poliomyelitis have been reported in Nigeria barely two years after the country was certified Wild Polio Virus (WPV) free by the World Health Organisation (WHO).

Nigeria was given the clean bill of health on Aug. 25, 2020, after three consecutive years of reporting no case of WPV.

The return of the virus to the country, according to the Permanent Secretary, Lagos State Primary Health Care Board (LSPHCB), Dr Ibrahim Mustafa, was a result of low routine immunisation coverage.

Mustafa who disclosed this in a statement on Sunday in Lagos said Lagos State Government, in collaboration with the National Primary Health Care Development Agency (NPHCDA), has started Polio Outbreak Response (OBR) Campaign to stem the tide.

He noted that the campaign was necessary to prevent a setback in the country’s laudable achievements and to maintain the country’s polio-free status.

Related News

According to him, the campaign will take place between Jan. 21 and 24 in all Local Government Areas and Local Council Development Areas of the state.

“The campaign aims to vaccinate all children, aged 0 to five years, with two drops of the oral polio vaccine, regardless of their previous vaccination status to prevent poliomyelitis that may result in paralysis of the limbs or death,” he said.

Mustafa said that vaccination teams would visit residential homes, schools, Churches, Mosques, gated estates, and all public places where eligible children could be found.

“In view of this, we solicit all parents, guardians, community leaders, pastors and imams to ensure that all eligible children are vaccinated during the campaign in all our communities,” he said.

Mustafa added that routine immunisation services would be available at the primary health centres during the campaign.

Load more