The United Nations Children’s Education Fund (UNICEF) has provided more than 2.5 million doses of Oral Polio Vaccines to the Bauchi state government to help protect children across the state.
Dr. Nuzhat Rafique, Chief of the UNICEF Bauchi Field Office, disclosed this on Thursday at the Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University Teaching Hospital (ATBUTH) in Bauchi, where the vaccines are stored.
Rafique announced that the vaccination exercise would take place across Bauchi State from April 24 to April 29.
She called on all stakeholders to ensure a massive awareness campaign before the exercise begins, aiming for high turnout and participation.
Addressing zero-dose children in Bauchi
According to her, Bauchi is in a critical state, with 13 out of 20 local governments having zero-dose children.
“Zero-dose children are those who have never received any dose of vaccines, which means almost 556,000 children have not received any vaccine,” she explained.
We will begin with these Local Government Areas on April 24, and I request that you share this message with all communities in the state,” Rafique said.
She emphasized, “Our target is every child under five in this campaign, and for the 556,000 zero-dose children, we hope they will no longer be zero-dose after this exercise.”
Community mobilization and participation
The UNICEF official appealed to all communities to cooperate and mobilize, encouraging them to visit the vaccination centers or any location where the vaccination teams would be assembling to vaccinate the children.
- She emphasized that the exercise was crucial for the future of the children and the next generation.
- Similarly, Mr. Patrick Akor, Health Officer at the UNICEF Bauchi Field Office, explained that UNICEF had provided pen markers to be used for finger marking children who had already been vaccinated.
“We will ensure that all local government areas and teams have adequate vaccines during the implementation of the exercise,” he assured.
Bappah Jika, a representative from the Bauchi State Primary Healthcare Development Board, confirmed the receipt of vaccines from UNICEF and expressed appreciation for their “life-saving” support.
What you should know
Oral Polio Vaccine (OPV) is a vaccine that helps prevent poliovirus infection, which can cause paralysis and sometimes death. Polio, short for poliomyelitis, is a highly contagious viral infection caused by the poliovirus.
- The virus primarily affects children under the age of 5 and can lead to permanent paralysis, particularly in the legs. In severe cases, it can also affect the muscles that control breathing, leading to death.
- OPV contains a weakened form of poliovirus. When ingested, it stimulates the immune system to produce antibodies against the virus. If the child is exposed to poliovirus in the future, these antibodies help protect them from infection or developing serious symptoms.
- Since the 1980s, OPV has played a critical role in reducing polio cases by more than 99% worldwide.
The Global Polio Eradication Initiative (GPEI) has made substantial progress in eliminating polio, with only a few countries, like Afghanistan and Pakistan, still reporting cases. OPV continues to be widely used in vaccination campaigns aimed at completely eradicating the disease.
