By Beatrice Gondyi GOMBE
Gombe State government has partnered with the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) and World Health Organisation (WHO) to flag off polio vaccination campaign in the State.
Flagging off the campaign in Kuri, Yamaltu-Deba local government area of the State, the deputy governor, Manasseh Jatau, said the state in collaboration with development partners are launching three critical public health campaign; National Immunisation Plus Days (NIPDs), African Vaccination Week (AVW), and World Malaria Day (WMD, with a view to combating polio, malaria and other preventable diseases that affect children resulting to death or disability.
The deputy governor who is also the chairman of the state task force on immunisation highlighted the importance of the simultaneous campaigns, noting the unique opportunity they present for a collective efforts in protecting children and vulnerable populations.
In his remarks, the representative of UNICEF Bauchi field office in charge of Gombe, Bauchi, Plateau, Adamawa and Taraba States, Oluseyi Olosede, said due to concerted efforts, Nigeria does not have wild polio virus again but that there is a circulating one. He said there is the need for continuous vaccinations to clean it up.
“After 2020 that Nigeria was declared polio free, we realised that there are many cases of circulating virus. The circulating one is increasing, we need to tackle it.”, he said.
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