Oral Polio vaccination for children has commenced in Kwara State, North Central Nigeria.

The programme is courtesy of the state government and it kicked off in Lafiagi, Edu Local Government Area in the Kwara North Senatorial District.

In her remarks during the immunisation exercise, the Executive Secretary of the State Primary Health Care Development Agency, Dr Nusirat Elelu disclosed that the programme is another round of polio campaign, which is meant to protect children from childhood killer disease.

According to her, Polio is a viral disease that can cause irreversible paralysis in infected individuals despite the fact that the disease can easily be prevented by an effective and readily available oral polio vaccine which is safe and easy to administer.

Dr Elelu stated that the African region has been successfully eradicated of the wild type polio virus but said the circulating mutant virus still pose significant health threat in many parts of the country.

She therefore stressed the need to ensure that the children are protected thus necessitating the occasional state -wide polio vaccination campaigns.

According to her, the Agency and its partners has been able to successfully interrupt the transmission of the circulating mutant polio virus across the 16 local government areas of the state through quality polio vaccination campaigns in the last several months.

The Executive Secretary of the agency commended the support received from the state government, partners, traditional and religious institutions in previous campaigns which according to her, has contributed to the outstanding performances recorded in immunization and other PHC activities, resulting in multiple awards in the last few of months.

“This is heart-warming as we would continue to count on this support to keep polio and other vaccine preventable diseases at zero,” she added.

Dr Elelu also emphasised on the important role of the traditional institution in polio vaccination campaigns, other routine immunization activities and all other primary health care interventions.

The Emir of Lafiagi , Alhaji Muhammadu Kudu-Kawu, in his remarks, emphasised the importance of PHC as key to the health of the citizenry.

The Monarch noted that PHC programmes have been very successful in the elimination of communicable diseases in the communities across the state and pledged his full support for the programme.

Alhaji Kudu- Kawu enjoined mothers and caregivers in the community to make available their children for vaccination against polio.

The State Coordinator of the World Health Organization ( WHO) , Dr Saliu Ahmed commended the Emir of Lafiagi for donating life jackets to healthcare workers in the community and promised that the organisation will continue to give necessary support.