Warri South Local Government Area of Delta has commenced “Polio Outbreak Response 2 (OBR2) Campaign” in the metropolis. The Chairman of the council, Dr Michael Tidi, inaugurated the exercise on Monday in Warri.
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Tidi said poliomyelitis is a disabling and life threatening disease caused by the polio virus, adding that it could only be prevented with safe and effective vaccination. He explained that the four-day immunisation is for children of five years and below.
The chairman urged parents to bring their wards forward for the vaccination, saying “Nigeria has been
experiencing outbreak of another form or variant of the Polio virus, the Circulating Variant Polio Virus type 2 (CVPV2).
“A child can get it if he or she is not immunised against all types of polio virus or lives in an area where the virus is circulating. Polio vaccine given multiple times can protect a child for life. Poliomyelitis mainly affects children under five years of age. One in 200 infections leads to irreversible paralysis. The best protection you can give your child and community is vaccination with the Oral Polio Vaccine (OPV) and the injectable inactivated polio vaccine,” he said.
Tidi said that achieving and maintaining high routine childhood immunisation coverage is critical to keeping every child safe from polio infection.
“Our children should be given polio vaccine immediately after delivery and every subsequent vaccination scheduled, including the immunisation pluses, until after five years of age. It is hoped that this exercise will go a long way in improving the overall health status of our children in Warri South Local Government Area.”
NAN/Wumi
