By Balkis Tijani.
Governor Abdulrahman Abdulrazaq of Kwara State, has described as shameful the recent report that the state recorded a whopping 50% of the new polio cases in Nigeria.
The governor, while flagging off the polio outbreak response activities in Ilorin today, which is exactly five years after the state government last supported the routine polio immunisation programme, also appealed to Kwarans to make all children under 5years of age available for the vaccination exercise.
He said: “It is a shame that Kwara has 50 percent of the new outbreak. We shouldn’t be dealing with fresh polio in this state now. But we will give the necessary supports to put an end to that.
“I call on Kwarans to join hands with our partners to interrupt the transmission of the Polio virus in Kwara State and Nigeria at large.
“I am appealing to all mothers, caregivers, heads of households, religious bodies, markets and schools to as a matter of necessity make all children under 5years of age available for the vaccination exercise, irrespective of their previous vaccination status as the campaign will be conducted as many times as possible.
“It is highly unacceptable and inexcusable for any Parent, Care Giver or Government to watch our future generation being paralysed from a vaccine-preventable disease like Polio.”
According to the Incident Manager of the National Primary Healthcare Development Agency, Dr Usman Adamu, Kwara State recorded 50% of the new polio cases because the state government defaulted in payment of the necessary counterpart funds to immunise children against the disease.