UNICEF urges routine immunisation to end polio in Nigeria
The United Nations International Children Emergency Fund (UNICEF) says Nigeria accounts for no fewer than four million un-vaccinated and under-vaccinated children globally and Kano has the highest number in Nigeria.
Dr Ibrahim Ali-Mohammed, Immunisation Officer, UNICEF Katsina Field Office, stated this in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Kano on Friday.
He said the UN fund puts the number of un-vaccinated and under-vaccinated children globally at 20 million.
Ali-Mohammed who was in Kano to attend the World Immunisation Week holding between April 25 and April 30, said the state accounted for 350,000 of the affected children in Nigeria.
According to him, the number of un-vaccinated and under-vaccinated children in Kano is the highest in the country.
The UNICEF official said that the decision to commemorate the World Immunisation Week in Kano was part of efforts to ensure that vaccines were available in the right quantity in the state.
He said the week was aimed at promoting awareness on vaccines and the role of vaccination against diseases.
“We want to ensure that vaccines come in the right quantity, right potency and at the right time to ensure that all eligible children in the state are immunised. UNICEF will continue to collaborate with the Kano state government and other relevant stakeholders to ensure availability of the vaccines,” he said.
He further said the UN body would continue provide support towards promoting vaccination across the 44 local government areas of the state.
In his remarks, Alhaji Rabiu Musa-Daura, UNICEF’s Communication for Development Specialist, urged the media to support the fund in advocacy and awareness creation.(NAN)
