The Kwara Government is coaxing children with snacks to drive its routine immunisation campaign in the state, the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports.

This is confirmed by the state Commissioner for Health, Alhaji Suleiman Atolagbe, on Wednesday in Ilorin when he coaxed primary school children to be immunised against polio by distributing snacks to the pupils.

Atolagbe said the government adopted the persuasive strategy while monitoring the second round of Oral Polio Vaccine (OPV) under the second round of immunisation across the state. He administered OPV on pupils during the exercise at Crescent Star Academy, Akerebiata, in Ilorin East local government area.

The commissioner called on parents to allow visiting health workers going from house to house to administer two drops of oral polio vaccine to children between 0 and 59 months of age irrespective of their immunisation status.

According to him, children will be immunised against poliomylitis, measles, hepatitis, diphtheria, tetanus and yellow fever during the exercise. He explained that the immunisation would last for only four days across the state and in all health facilities.

The state Immunisation Officer, Hajia Ajarat Suleiman, advised mothers to immunise their children. Suleiman pointed out that to be immunised more than once would not be harmful to children, saying it will rather make the child to be stronger against any infections.

On her part, the local Immunisation Officer in Ilorin East Local Government Council, Hajia Salmata Waheed, appealed to mothers who missed the visiting health workers to quickly go to the nearest healthcare centre to them to immunise their wards. (NAN)