Kano State government has set a target to vaccinate 3.9 million children under the age of five during the June 2025 Outbreak Response, OBR, campaign.
The Director-General of Kano State Primary Healthcare Management Board, Dr Nasir Mahmoud, announced this during a media dialogue yesterday in Kano.
Mahmoud explained that the campaign aligns with the national strategy to eradicate polio and maintain Nigeria’s polio-free certification.
He said the vaccination drive became necessary due to the recent resurgence of type 2 poliovirus in parts of the state.
According to him, factors such as community resistance, poor data reporting and insecurity have contributed to the virus re-emergence by hindering previous immunisation efforts.
“Ungogo Local Government Area recorded the highest level of non-compliance during the May campaign.
“To improve vaccination coverage, local government areas are now ranked monthly based on performance,” he said.
Mahmoud reaffirmed the state government’s commitment to eradicate polio by December and pledged to significantly reduce the maternal mortality rate within the same timeframe, describing both goals as top priorities.
He stressed the importance of collaboration with traditional rulers and the 44 local government chairmen to overcome challenges.
UNICEF’s Chief of Field Office in Kano, Mr Rahma Mohammed, noted that the surveillance conducted in 2025 detected the virus in Warawa, Bunkure, Kano Municipal and Nasarawa Local Government Areas.
“This is unacceptable and must be halted. Polio remains a highly infectious disease that spreads rapidly and knows no borders,” he warned.
Mohammed emphasised that even a single case of polio anywhere poses a threat to children everywhere and called for coordinated efforts to contain the outbreak.
He urged all levels of government, traditional rulers and the media to intensify awareness campaigns and ensure full vaccination coverage, especially in high-risk areas.
The UNICEF official reaffirmed UNICEF’s commitment to support Nigeria’s polio eradication efforts and called for the timely release of counterpart funding and stronger supervision of immunisation campaigns.
He also urged government to declare a public health emergency and increase media engagement to counter misinformation about the vaccine.(NAN)
