Muhammed Garba
Parents and caregivers across Jigawa State have turned out in exceptionally large numbers to present their children for polio vaccination as the state commenced a three-day immunization exercise targeting 1.5 million children.
The campaign, which was kicked off on Saturday with strong community mobilization, has witnessed an unprecedented level of acceptance and participation.
Across several communities, mothers and older siblings were seen escorting children under five years to designated vaccination points.
In Dutse, the state capital, teams of vaccinators were active around churches, markets, and residential areas, where dozens of children lined up patiently for their turn.
A similar scene played out in Kila town of Gwaram Local Government Area, where mothers and caregivers gathered calmly to ensure their children received the oral polio vaccine.
One of the mothers, 29-year-old Fatima Sani, said she had full confidence in the safety of the vaccine.
She explained that she herself received the vaccine 26 years ago and has since vaccinated all three of her children without experiencing any side effects.
“Yes, there was a lot of hearsay about the polio vaccine, but many of us received it as children and nothing bad happened to us. This has practically and clearly proven that all the misinformation is untrue,” she said.
Meanwhile, in Sara town, vaccination teams were observed working rigorously around markets, Islamiyya schools, and residential areas to reach children wherever they could be found.
Reports from various local government areas indicate that turnout has surged significantly following sustained public awareness campaigns, community engagement efforts, and testimonies from mothers vaccinated in previous decades.
Speaking on the progress of the exercise, the Monitoring and Evaluation Officer of the Jigawa State Primary Healthcare Development Agency (JSPHCDA), Mr. Zakariyya Sale Shehu, said early data from the second day of the campaign suggests they are on track to achieve a 99% coverage rate.
Also commenting, the Primary Healthcare Manager of Gwaram Local Government, Malam Musa Muhammad, revealed that the area has 147,776 registered children, and turnout so far has been highly impressive, with the exercise progressing smoothly.
The vaccination campaign is being carried out in collaboration with the JSPHCDA, the National Primary Healthcare Development Agency (NPHCDA), and international partners, including UNICEF and the World Health Organization (WHO).
