Hussaini Ibrahim 
Health workers administering polio vaccine to children in Kano community
KANO, Nigeria – The Kano State Primary Health Care Management Board has confirmed the identification of four new poliovirus variants in the state, raising concerns among public health authorities over potential resurgence if immunisation coverage declines.
The disclosure was made by the Board’s Executive Secretary, Professor Salisu Ahmad, during a World Polio Day town hall meeting in Kano.
Represented by the Director of Disease Control, Ahmad noted that Kano previously accounted for most polio cases nationally between 2013 and 2015, before the virus was eliminated in Nigeria through sustained vaccination campaigns.
“Environmental sanitation alone cannot end vaccine-preventable diseases,” he said. “We must therefore continue to ensure our children are vaccinated.”
Ahmad explained that one additional sample remains under laboratory analysis and emphasised that stopping transmission requires uninterrupted routine vaccination and community awareness.
Health officials at the event underscored that high population density and mobility make Kano particularly vulnerable to virus circulation.
Development partners, community leaders, and frontline health workers pledged renewed collaboration to maintain vaccination coverage and prevent reversal of historic public health gains.
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Oluwatobi Adu 
Korede Abdullah 
Koko Maxwella