Govt to conduct 4 rounds of immunisation in Katsina before 2016 ends

The Katsina State Government says it will conduct four rounds of polio immunisation known as Immunisation Plus Days (IPDs) before the end of the year as part of measures to prevent spread of the disease in the state.

The state’s Deputy Governor, Alhaji Mannir Yakubu, disclosed this on Thursday in Katsina during a meeting of the Taskforce Committee on Immunisation and Polio Eradication in the state.

He said “we are all aware of the setback Nigeria recorded in polio eradication following the resurgence of three cases of wild polio virus in Borno.

“Polio anywhere is polio everywhere, so we must ensure quality campaign that will cover every child to protect our children.”

Yakubu said that the state government would also continue to strengthen routine immunisation at health facilities in all the 34 local government areas of the state.

He urged members of the committee to work hard to achieve the desired objective.

Yakubu said that the previous polio campaigns recorded high coverage, less missed children and major compliance.

He then urged parents to present their children to the vaccinators for the immunisation.

He announced that the first round of the campaign would start from Sept. 17 to Sept. 20, whilethe remaining three rounds would be conducted before the end of the year.

In addition, he added, the state government would sustain routine immunisation at various health facilities in the 34 local government areas to effectively fight the disease.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that wild polio virus was last reported in the state in November 2014.