By Iliya Kure
Kaduna (Nigeria) — Kaduna State Government in northern Nigeria has asked parents to cooperate with it and vaccinate their children and wards against poliomyelitis – a disease that has crippled thousands of children in the country.
“To keep Kaduna State polio-free is a mission that all parents must support for the sake of all children,” says a statement by Samuel Aruwan, Media Aide of the state Governor.
The call is coming at a time Nigeria derailed from the path of attaining a polio-free status, normally conferred by the World Health Organisation (WHO) – despite sustained efforts of keeping the virus away from affecting children in the last two years. The August report of poliomyelitis in feaces of two children in Boko Haram ravaged northeastern Borno state prevented the country from attaining such a status.
For a country to get certified as a polio -free nation by WHO, the country must overpower the polio virus and keep it at bay for three years without reporting a case.
Efforts have been made by various stakeholders in sustaining a campaign which yielded positive results in the recent past; bringing down the cases, especially in the then eight polio-endemic states of Borno, Kano, Jigawa, Katsina, Kebbi, Sokoto, Yobe and Zamfara.
Routine immunisation is very low in Nigeria, a country where most parents hardly take their children to health facilities for vaccination. This has contributed to poor immunisation uptake and indices, resulting in high cases of vaccine preventable diseases.
The country receives funding from Rotary International to fight polio. It also receives donation from wealthy individuals like Bill Gates to strengthen immunisation against it and other childhood diseases.
Of recent, some northern states including Kaduna have signed a tripartite agreement to improve routine immunisation in their states. The agreement is between the states, Gates Foundation and Dangote Foundation. The funding will come from the three parties and will go on for three years, thereafter the states will take over the affairs of funding the exercise.
Like in the past mass polio campaigns, Kaduna currently targets vaccinating over 3 million children below the age of five years in the 23 Local Government Areas of the state. This it plans to achieve through house to house visitation, as well as vaccinating all children encountered on the road, markets places, motor parks, and play ground among others.
Aruwans statement further encourages that “all eligible children in transit within Kaduna State be made available for immunization at all transit sites (motor parks, road blocks, railway stations, airports etc.).”
The statement says the immunisation is compulsory to children within the target age group, emphasising that, “Every parent has a duty to protect children from avoidable diseases, so that nothing hinders their chances for a better life and the realization of their full potentials. Voluntary compliance and cooperation with health officials is expected from all parents.
“The Government of Kaduna State wishes to clarify that any parent found obstructing health workers from carrying out their statutory functions will be prosecuted accordingly as prescribed by the law.”
