The Cross River Primary Health Development Agency has commenced the vaccination of 900,000 children between 0 to 59 months against the vaccine-derived poliomyelitis, which is the Type 2 variant.
The Director General of the agency, Dr. Janet Ekpenyong disclosed this at a ceremony to flag off the second round of polio immunization in Calabar, the capital of Cross River State, southern Nigeria.
High-impact intervention
Ekpenyong, who stressed the need for mothers and caregivers to make their children available for the vaccines, said that although Cross River was free from the Type 2 poliomyelitis variant, there were reported cases of outbreaks in nearby states.
According to Ekpenyong, “we have heard of cases of the circulating vaccine-derived poliomyelitis, which is the Type 2, recorded in the country. However, in Cross River State, we have not recorded such cases.
“As part of efforts to ensure that we do not record any case, we have decided to implement this high-impact intervention, which we hope can reach our children within the ages of 0 to 59 months. This particular intervention is a proactive activity to ensure that children, who are in hard-to-reach areas, can be covered.
“We are targeting about 900,000 children in Cross River State and with the response we have gotten so far, I am sure we will exceed the target,” the DG said.
Maintain polio-free status
Earlier, the wife of the Cross River State governor, Dr. Linda Ayade, who flagged off the polio immunization exercise, noted that although Cross River was certified polio-free, the government was taking conscious steps to maintain and sustain its status.
Ayade said, “this is a call for the second round of immunization to kick polio away from Cross River State. We have heard that our neighbouring states have encountered this outbreak, but we are fortunate. If we do not take proactive actions, we would have an unfortunate situation.
“One negative thing about polio is that when it starts, it is a little bit late to prevent it. So, it is better to prevent it. We do not want to have any deformed children. Therefore, the need for us as a state to continue with our vaccination strategy to improve the health of our children and guarantee their survival to economically viable adults,” she stressed.
In the same vein, the Commissioner for Health, Dr. Betta Edu represented by the Director of Public Health, Dr. Iwara Iwara reiterated the need for people to ensure that children between 0 to 5 years received the vaccine.
Edu hinted that immunization teams would be going from door to door, places of worship, markets and other public spaces across every community in the state to vaccinate children and urged leaders, especially religious and political rulers, to encourage parents and caregivers to vaccinate eligible wards.
Dominica Nwabufo
