Korede Abdullah in Lagos
Oyo State is set to vaccinate over 2.5 million children under the age of five during the June round of the National Immunisation Plus Days (NIPD), reinforcing its commitment to eliminating polio.
At a sensitisation meeting with key stakeholders on Tuesday, Executive Secretary of the Oyo State Primary Healthcare Board, Dr Muideen Olatunji stated, “This campaign is to make sure we catch children who missed out on routine immunisation. It’s not just for polio—it’s integrated, and all vaccines are being utilised.”
He disclosed that a case of vaccine-derived polio was recently detected in Ogbomoso in a child who had travelled from Sokoto, stressing the importance of sustained surveillance.
Dr Olatunji emphasised that Oyo State’s strong surveillance system enabled early detection of the case, stating, “It is commendable and an indication that a case was detected in Oyo State.”
He thanked the Social Mobilisation Committee and other partners for their continued support, urging them not to relent in encouraging parents to vaccinate their children.
“You don’t say because you have been declared polio-free, you back off from vaccination exercises,” he warned, noting that house-to-house campaigns would be used to reach every eligible child.
World Health Organisation Oyo Coordinator, Dr Philip Zorto, echoed the urgency of the campaign, warning that Nigeria has until 2025 to halt vaccine-derived polio transmission.
“It is an opportunity to ensure that our children don’t get paralysed… some of these vaccine-preventable diseases can lead to blindness, deafness, and some cancers,” he said.
He appealed to traditional, religious, and community leaders to allow vaccinators access to every household, particularly in areas resistant to immunisation.
Health Educator Mr Olaoye Olarinde added, “If a child has polio, it puts at least 200 others at risk,” calling for no child to be left behind.
