UNICEF Commences Polio Vaccination Campaign in Bauchi

Segun Awofadeji in Bauchi

The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) has commenced Polio vaccination campaign in Bauchi state,  while expressing  worry that the state has a total number of 556,000 zero dose children in 13 local government areas thereby putting their chances of survival at risk. 

The Chief of Field Office (CFO), Bauchi Field Office of UNICEF, Dr Nuzhat Rafique, stated this yesterday  while handing over 2.5 million doses of Polio vaccines to the state government preparatory to the 2025 Polio vaccination campaign. 

Speaking at the state cold store situated inside the premises of the Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University Teaching Hospital (ATBUTH), Bauchi, the UNICEF CFO said:  “As you know and as I earlier stated, Polio campaign is starting in the 13 Zero Dose LGAs on the 24th and then the entire State on 26th to 29th of April.” 

According to her, “This is very critical, very important, it is a make or break event for us. These two campaigns this year are the last chance for Nigeria and for Bauchi to contribute towards the eradication of Polio in Nigeria.” 

She stressed  that  “This is because Bauchi is one of the Zero Dose states with 13 out of 20 LGAs with zero dose children. Zero dose children means that no vaccines has ever reached them and it is comprising over 556, 000 children who have never received any vaccination, so you can imagine how highly risk they are.”

“So, we have mapped out these LGAs and we are starting there as from 24th. I request you to give this massive report, let all communities in Bauchi State know that this is the month for Polio campaign,” she added. 

According to her,  “All communities should start cooperating and mobilizing of resources to come to the vaccination centres or wherever the teams are going, they should get their children vaccinated.”

 “This is not only for them, but for the generations to come, for the whole future of Nigeria and the children born in Nigeria. If we are Polio free, they will be much better citizens in sha Allah.” 

She added: “Especially for this campaign, UNICEF in coordinating with the Primary Healthcare Development Board and Her Excellency, the First Lady, we always have this campaign in Bauchi State and we hope that this time around too, it will be successful in sha Allah.” 

 “The primary healthcare board has taken delivery of the vaccine which we supported in bringing in, a total of 2.5m doses of Polio vaccine already here in the cold room, then we have more than 50000 of drops, we have 25000 pen markers to be used for marking fingers of children vaccinated.”

 Rafique emphasised to journalists that, “It is your responsibility to take this message to the communities to bring out their children for the vaccination so that we know how many children vaccinated.” 

“Every child U-5 is a target for the campaign but in those 556,000 children who are zero dose, we are hoping that after now, there will not be zero dose in Bauchi again,” she added.

According to her, “It is not only Polio for them, it is all the vaccines package that need to reach them and once Polio reaches them and they start getting immunized, in sha Allah we will reduce the number of zero dose children.”

Also speaking, UNICEF Health Officer, Patrick Akor, explained that 160,250 doses that will be used for the round of vaccination to reach children between ages 0 – 59 months. 

He also assured the people  that UNICEF has provided pen markers that would be used to finger mark the children already vaccinated for proper and adequate data collection.

“We are going to ensure that in all the local governments, all teams have adequate vaccines during the implementation exercise,” he  said.

Bappah Jika, a representative from the Bauchi state Primary Healthcare Development Board, who confirmed the receipt of the vaccines from UNICEF, appreciated the Fund for the ‘life saving’ support.

He assured the people that adequate publicity will be embarked upon to create awareness for the campaign so that the target will be achieved.