Jigawa targets 1.5 million children in polio immunisation

The Jigawa State Government has finalised plans to immunise over 1.5 million children below the age of five in the November round of its polio immunisation exercise.

Executive Secretary of the State Primary Healthcare Development Agency (SPHCDA), Shehu Sambo, announced this at a one-day Media Dialogue organised by the state with support from the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF).

Represented by the state’s Assistant Health Educator, Nura Ado, the executive secretary stated that a total of 1,516,244 children are expected to be immunised during the period.

The November immunisation drive is scheduled to be conducted from 27 November to 3 December 2025, and will run concurrently with the Maternal, Newborn and Child Health (MNCH) week.

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During the MNCH week, vital health services will also be provided to pregnant women.
About 2,015 ad hoc teams across the state’s 27 Local Government Areas will conduct House-to-House immunisation and provide the other associated health services.

Rahama Farah, Chief of the UNICEF Kano Field Office, commended Jigawa State for achieving a 58 per cent reduction in cVPV2 cases in 2024.

However, he cautioned that polio remains a concern, noting that 72 cases have been reported across 14 states so far in 2025, underscoring the necessity to strengthen coverage.

Mr Farah appealed to Local Government Chairmen to closely monitor the exercise and for the mass media to mobilise parents effectively.

Mr Farah further appealed for a collective responsibility from all stakeholders to end polio transmission in Jigawa State and other states across Nigeria.

Mr Sambo appealed for media support for the effective coverage of the exercise and for clearing misconceptions among caregivers.

Also speaking on behalf of the National Primary Healthcare Development Agency (NPHCDA), Firdausi Aminu commended the state for its mobilisation efforts, extended best wishes, and pledged the agency’s full support to ensure the exercise’s success.

While Wild Poliovirus (WPV) was declared eradicated in Nigeria (and all of Africa) in 2020, the country, including Jigawa, continues to battle circulating Vaccine-Derived Poliovirus Type 2 (cVPV2).

This variant arises in under-immunised populations when the live attenuated virus in the oral polio vaccine (OPV) mutates and spreads.

Jigawa’s goal of immunising over 1.5 million children aims to significantly increase population immunity, thereby breaking the chain of cVPV2 transmission, a critical step toward ensuring that all children are protected.