…As Governor Yusuf hails KSMH
By Usman Usman Garba
Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf of Kano State has launched the 2024 Polio OBR3 Campaign at Dawakin Kudu Local Government as part of the national activities in 18 states of the federation, in which Kano State was inclusive.
The 2024 polio vaccination campaign held on Saturday at Dawakin Kudu town was aimed at improving the immune status of children and themed: “Vaccinate Your Children Below 5 Years During Every Polio Campaign to Prevent Paralysis; Vaccines are Safe and Effective.”
During the flag-off of the vaccine, Governor Yusuf stated that the rising number of circulating viruses in the country, particularly Kano, necessitated the conduct of supplementary national immunization days in 2024 in some states in the country.
“Despite the huge success of controlling the virus within the country, some are still reporting cases. From January 2023 to date, more than 275 cases were recorded from Northwest and Kano, in particular, recorded 36 cases.
“I want to call the good people of Kano State to utilize this golden opportunity provided by the government to ensure that our children (Kano state children) are vaccinated to avert the transmission of polioviruses and the vaccine-preventable diseases associated with climate change,” he maintained.
The governor has, however, expressed his dismay for the outbreak of cholera disease which recorded 620 suspected cases and also commended the efforts of the Kano State Ministry of Health for their tireless efforts as 554 cases were successfully treated.
He also urged the members of the public to remain calm and adopt good personal and environmental hygiene and sanitation practices as the s government is on top of the situation.
Governor Yusuf has similarly appreciated the effort of the Hon. Commissioner, Ministry of Health, Dr Labaran Yusuf and other MDs for strengthening emergency preparedness and response efforts for the curtailment of some diseases.
He acknowledged the effort of the Kano State Emirate Council, religious leaders, the business community and other stakeholders for their contributions to the fight against polio and health-related interventions in the state.
Lastly, he also appreciated the immense contributions and support of development partners such as the WHO, KNCV, BA-N, SFH, TB-Network, Lead TB CBO, NEPHWAN, IHVN, GGHN, LTR, UNICEF, CHAI, Dangote Foundation, Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, KECCOD among others.
Also, the Deputy Governor and Chairman of the f State Task Force on Pol, io Comrade Aminu Abdussalam Gwarzo expressed government readiness and dedication to the health sector across 44 local governments of the state.
On his part, the Commissioner of Health, Dr Labaran Yusus, emphasized the importance of launching the 2024 Polio Campaign in Dawakin Kudu as the local government faced some numbers of challenges during the previous administration.
He said, “The local government (Dawakin Kudu) has Zerboxesox as they did not participate in receiving polio vaccine during the previous administration, and 1253 have L and I coverage.
“Also, they faced the problem of diphtheria,ia where 50 patients received treatment besides the s cholera outbreak that happened in the local government.
The Hon. Commissioner also had haileGovernoror Yusuf’s efforts in the health sector, urging him (the governor) to seriously call on the people of Dawakin Kudu to be more serious about receiving the polio vaccine and other relevant vaccines for the safety of Kano State.
In his remarks, the WHO Country Representative, Dr Walter Kazadi Mulombo Walter, is ably represented by the WHO Kano State Coordinator. MAYANA Sanusi Abubakar stated that to ensure quality implementation and adherence to the SOPs and Guidelines, WHO deployed 484 Field Volunteers, 68 Enhanced Independent Monitors, 45 Local Government Facilitators, 19 Assistant Public Health Officers and 6 Management Support Teams to provide technical support to the vaccination team and ensure no child is missed.
He further expressed that from urban to rural areas and from hardest-to-reach and nomadic settlements, WHO will provide technical support to ensure all eligible children are reached with 2 drops of the nOPV2 vaccine.
He concluded that WHO is committed to supporting and complimenting Kano state government’s efforts to interrupt cVPV2 transmission or reduce cVPV2 cases by at least 80% by December 2024.
