By Suleiman Adamu, Sokoto
SULTAN of Sokoto Muhammad Sa’ad Abubakar says polio can be eradicated if citizens embrace the culture of routine personal and environmental hygiene as he charged parents to make available their children for vaccination.
He attributed the presence of the polio variant in the state to negligence and failure to sustain measures adopted to wipe WPV in 2020.
However, Sokoto state is leading the chart with 61 cases of polio variant according to records.
He said absolute health measures were key in the drive to erradicating polio pointing out that health was a fundamental aspect for survival.
” No sickness that has not come with cure and we are capable of ending polio “, he stressed .
Abubakar spoke on Friday at the flag off of 4 day polio variant vaccination exercise in Sokoto.
” We were able to eradicate the WPV in 2020. I believe we can also wipe the polio variant.”
The vaccination exercise is a collaboration between the state ministry of health ann others partners which include Chigari Foundation, UNICEF , CDC, WHO.
The monarch who was represented by the Wazirin Sokoto, Professor Sambo Wali Junaidu said the Sultanate Council was committed to sustaining it stakes against all child killer diseases inorder to save lives .
The Representative OIC UNICEF , Sokoto, Dr Danjuma Mustapha said achieving the desired results of the mission against polio variant in the state needed active synergy through robust advocacy that would attract compliance by parents to allow their children vaccinated.
” Sufficiently, government must also key in actively with personnel, infrastructure and funding to sustain the drive . NGOs CBOs, CSOs .
” All polio eradication initiatives including using the media platforms must be put in place to break the barriers “, he stated.
Also, UNICEF/SBC Health Specialist , Tessa Rintala said donor agencies and organisation was committed to extending support to the mission to ensure the erradication of polio.
According to Rintala” we will collectively work as a team to ensure every child is administered the vaccine for their protection.
In his remarks the state Special Adviser on PHC, Bello Garba who also reiterated the need for parents and relevant stakeholders to brace up towards ending the polio variant cases in the state, said all hands must be on deck to ensure the protection and survival of children under 5 against the killer disease.
He decried that the polio variant was alarming in Sokoto North and Sokoto South” parents must not ignore the importance of presenting their children for vaccination. I recall the issue of measles where many households refuse their children to be vaccinated.
” Health is wealth. A healthy nation is a wealthy nation “, he reminded while assuring that the 4day exercise would guarantee a wider and effective coverage of areas.
Earlier, the state immunisation officer, Bashir Garba who represented the Executive Secretary of SSPHCDA at a UNICEF organised pre- vaccination flag off media session at Dankani Palace Hotel,Sokoto noted that polio was a global issue that needed concerted efforts to eradicate by ensuring every eligible child was vaccinated.
He said at the agency’s level, the state government had designed outreach sessions for vaccination.
He explained that a strategy for a house to house campaign through collective engagements had kicked off to drive the required intervention exercise.
” Although, we have been having running battle with issues of religion and culture.
” These strengthen our spirit to engage both primary and major stakeholders to drive our objectives. We commend UNICEF partnership resilience. We equally need media active involvement to drive our messages and influence parents”, he pointed out as he disclosed that only 12% across 13 LGs out of the 23 in the state had their children vaccinated before now.
” Many were zero dose ranked “, he said.
