The Kwara Government has commenced the administration of Oral Polio vaccines to children in Lafiagi, Edu Local Government Area of the state.
Speaking on the immunisation campaign, which started on Sunday (today), the Executive Secretary of Kwara Primary Health Care Development Agency, Dr. Nusirat Elelu, explained that it is an exercise to protect children from childhood killer diseases.
She described Polio as a viral disease that can cause irreversible paralysis in infected individuals.
“This is in spite of the fact that the disease can easily be prevented by an effective and readily available oral polio vaccine which is safe and easy to administer.
“The African region has successfully eradicated the wild-type poliovirus. However, the circulating mutant virus still poses a significant health threat in many parts of the country.
“We need to be on guard to ensure our children are protected, thus necessitating the occasional state-wide polio vaccination campaigns,” she explained.
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According to her, the agency and its partners have been able to successfully interrupt the transmission of the circulating mutant polio virus across the 16 LGAs through quality polio vaccination campaigns in the last several months.
The support received from the state government, partners, and traditional and religious institutions in previous campaigns, she noted, have contributed to the outstanding performances recorded in immunisation and other PHC activities, thus, resulting in multiple awards in the last few months.
“This is heart-warming as we would continue to count on this support to keep polio and other vaccine-preventable diseases at zero,” Elelu added.
She also emphasised the important role of traditional institutions in polio vaccination campaigns, other routine immunisation activities and all other primary health care interventions.
Responding, the Emir of Lafiagi, Alhaji Muhammadu Kudu-Kawu, observed the importance of PHC as key to the health of the citizenry.
He noted that PHC programmes have been very successful in the elimination of communicable diseases in communities across the state.
Kudu-Kawu pledged his support and enjoined mothers and caregivers in the community to make their children available for vaccination against polio.
On his part, the World Health Organisation (WHO) State Coordinator, Dr. Saliu Ahmed, commended the Emir for donating life jackets to healthcare workers.
He also urged healthcare workers to continue with selfless consistent services to the people, adding that WHO will continue to give the necessary support needed.
