By Rauf Oyewole
The United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) has said that around 22,000 children in Bauchi State have not received routine immunisation.
The UN Agency added that outbreaks of circulating vaccine-derived poliovirus (cVDPV) continues to persist, with 4 cases of cVDPV2 (73 cases Nationally) documented in Bauchi in 2024.
UNICEF's Chief of Bauchi Field Office, Dr. Nuzhat Rafique said this during an awareness road walk in Bauchi on Thursday to commemorate this year's World Polio Day. According to her, child deaths and physical disabilities that polio causes could be banished from the State, Nigeria and the World if the stakeholders continued to commit to stopping polio outbreaks.
To fully eliminate polio, Rafique said that every child in every household must receive the vaccine but unfortunately, thousands of children are still missing out. The global decline in childhood immunisation coverage has led to rising outbreaks, even in countries that have been polio-free for decades, she said.
“The battle against polio is particularly difficult in the most challenging environments, yet eradication is attainable. UNICEF delivers over 1 billion doses of polio vaccines each year —the largest portion of global vaccine deliveries.”
She further urged the government to prioritise vaccination for all children against polio, especially in hard-to-reach areas and communities with low immunization rates.
“Strengthen immunisation systems to ensure every child receives essential, life-saving vaccines. (zero children with zero dose status). Allocate critical technical and financial resources to local efforts to swiftly address outbreaks and guarantee that children are vaccinated.
“Keep the polio eradication on the front burner of political discourse while leveraging innovative solutions and coordinated actions to enhance the quality of immunization campaigns.
“We ask the Bauchi Emirate Council to support the mobilisation of parents and caregivers to avail their children for vaccinations and to support the resolution of non-compliance during and after campaigns,” she urged.
She announced that UNICEF Nigeria working together with prominent Nigerian musicians have launched a song today that highlights the importance of reducing the number of children with zero dose.
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