UNICEF intensifies effort to end polio, other diseases in Gombe
By Haruna Rasheed
The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) said it is intensifying efforts to reduce the high number of unvaccinated children in Gombe State.
Chief of UNICEF’s Bauchi Field Office, Dr Nuzhat Rafique, stated this during the launch of the 2025 round of the National Immunisation Plus Days (NIPDs) campaign event held at the Kuri District Head Palace in Yamaltu/Deba Local Government Area of the state.
She identified Dukku, Kwami, Funakaye, and Yamaltu/Deba as high-risk LGAs in the state with critically low immunisation coverage.
Represented by Mr Oluseyi Olusunde, UNICEF Health Officer, Dr Rafique warned that outbreaks of vaccine-derived poliovirus continue to pose a serious public health threat.
She stressed the importance of intensified community engagement to combat vaccine rejection and misinformation, emphasising that 2025 is a crucial year to achieve polio eradication in Nigeria.
SolaceBase reports that the Gombe state government, in collaboration with UNICEF and the World Health Organisation (WHO), inaugurated the Polio Vaccination Campaign in the state last Thursday.
The state’s Commissioner for Health, Dr Habu Dahiru, reassured parents of the oral polio vaccine’s safety and urged families to ensure their children are fully immunised. “Immunising your child protects them from multiple life-threatening diseases,” he said.
He said NIPD’s campaign will cover all 11 LGAs in the state, aiming to reach hundreds of thousands of children under-five with polio vaccines and other essential healthcare services.
Campaign reaching zero-dose children
The Local Government Immunisation Officer (LIO) in Kaltungo, Mr Yakubu Epeso, said the state government has been working in collaboration with UNICEF and other development partners to eradicate polio and other diseases, as well as improve the health outcomes of the state residents.
He disclosed that the technical expertise and support provided by UNICEF has been crucial in organising the campaign and ensuring that they reach even the most remote areas of the LGA.
The LIO explained that the immunisation drive, which involved door-to-door vaccination, has been far-reaching in ensuring that every child receives protection against poliovirus, measles, and other dangerous diseases.
Residents applaud UNICEF’s effort
Speaking to SolaceBase, residents in Kaltungo LGA of the state have expressed appreciation to UNICEF and the state government for the ongoing efforts to combat poliovirus and other preventable diseases in the state.
The residents spoke during an immunisation campaign in Kaltungo town, as part of a larger initiative aimed at eliminating polio and other preventable diseases in the state.
During the campaign, health workers reached wards across Kaltungo LGAs, administering vaccines to children across the LGA.
Speaking to newsmen at his house in the Kalarin community of Kaltungo, Moses James, a 36-year-old father of two, commended the government’s commitment to child health, expressing confidence in the future of the immunisation programs.
“We were told that UNICEF and the government provided the vaccine; they are doing great work. I have seen the benefit and impact of immunisation, it does not only fights Polio but other diseases as well, and we now have fewer cases in our community,” he said.
At the PHCC Kalarin, Mrs Augusta Amos, a mother of three, expressed happiness for the government’s effort in vaccinating children and protecting them from diseases. “It gives us hope for a healthier future. My children have completed all their immunisation doses.”
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