Kwara State Launches Polio Vaccination Campaign for Children Under 5

Kwara State, Nigeria is launching a polio vaccination campaign for children under 5 years old from April 20-23, 2024. The campaign will involve 2,034 teams going house-to-house to vaccinate eligible children across the state.

Dr. Nusirat Elelu, the Executive Secretary of the State Primary Healthcare Development Agency, has called on all parents, caregivers, religious houses, schools, and Quranic institutions to make their children available for the vaccination. "The vaccine is safe, efficacious, and does not have an overdose," Elelu emphasized.

Although Nigeria has been certified polio-free, the state government is committed to sustaining the gains by boosting population immunity through supplementary and routine immunization activities. The state government has partnered with development partners like WHO, UNICEF, and NPHCDA to strengthen the routine immunization system and make immunization services available at no cost to the people of Kwara State.

Why this matters: Polio is a highly infectious viral disease that mainly affects children under 5. Global preventive campaigns have helped reduce wild poliovirus cases by 99% since 1988. Sustaining the polio-free status requires ongoing efforts to protect the most at-risk group through vaccination.

The previous polio campaign in Kwara State covered at least 1.5 million children across communities. The state government is expecting a similar level of success in the upcoming campaign and seeks improved dedication from health workers to ensure that hard-to-reach areas are fully accessed for vaccination.

Key Takeaways

• Kwara State, Nigeria launching polio vaccination campaign for under-5s from April 20-23, 2024.
• 2,034 teams will go door-to-door to vaccinate eligible children across the state.
• Vaccine is safe, efficacious, and does not have an overdose, says health official.
• Nigeria certified polio-free, but state committed to sustaining gains through routine immunization.
• Previous campaign covered 1.5 million children, state expects similar success in upcoming drive.