By: Aisha Mohammed
Adamawa State Government and the United Nations Children’s Fund UNICEF Bauchi Field Office are set to vaccinate over 1.4 million children under the age of five against polio.
The vaccination campaign will require about 1,443,300 doses of the polio vaccine, targeting high-risk areas across the state.
The Bauchi UNICEF Chief of the Field Office, Dr. Nuzhat Rafique, disclosed this to newsmen in Yola.
Dr. Nuzhat Rafique said UNICEF has been supporting the Adamawa State Government to ensure the successful implementation of routine polio immunization and commended the state government and its team for their unwavering commitment.
“UNICEF have supported with 47 million cash but it includes all the implementation and logistics of the Polio campaign, am very grateful to the state government because in every state UNICEF contributes to something but there are counterpart funding also released Adamawa State government should be really appreciated because they always release funds on time, she said ”
She urged the media to intensify public awareness on the safety of the polio vaccine, especially in local government areas where resistance to vaccination persists.
“That is Gombi LGA, Mubi North Mubi South Yola North and Yola South so these are the areas, and total target for Adamawa is around 1.4 million under 5 children and this is for this campaign, Rafique added ”
Dr. Rafique emphasized that UNICEF remains concerned about the rights and health of every child, calling on parents and caregivers to make their children available for vaccination.
Flagging off the campaign, Adamawa State Governor, Ahmadu Umaru Fintiri, appreciated UNICEF Bauchi Field Office and other partners for their support, pledging to ensure that no child is left out.
Governor Fintiri reiterated that the health and well-being of Adamawa’s people, especially women and children, remain a top priority for his administration.
Executive Chairman of the Adamawa State Primary Healthcare Development Agency, Dr. Sulaiman Bashir, also called on parents and caregivers to seize the opportunity to immunize their children against polio.
He appealed to traditional rulers, religious leaders, and other stakeholders to champion the campaign and mobilize their communities.
“Let’s address those myths and misconceptions this vaccines are Free, they are safe and they are effective and we are proven examples the success of this vaccination and I think this is all we need to ask let’s bring all eligible children out let’s ensure that they get vaccinated, Bashir said.”
The polio vaccination exercise, which coincides with the African Vaccination Week, targets children aged 0–59 months.
The campaign, which flagged off on April 26, will run until April 29, 2025, and aims to cover all 226 political wards in Adamawa State.
