The Toro Local Government Area of Bauchi State is targeting 127,550 children aged between zero and 59 months in the ongoing December polio immunisation campaign, Musa Danladi, the council’s immunisation officer, has said.
Danladi spoke on Tuesday during the flag-off of the campaign at Tilden Fulani Primary Health Care Centre in Toro LGA.
He said the local government has consistently recorded about 99 percent compliance in routine immunisation exercises, noting that resistance to vaccination remains minimal in the area.
“Toro LGA is one of the areas where we do not experience serious non-compliance. Parents are largely cooperative and bring out their children for immunisation,” he said.
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However, Danladi noted that occasional challenges arise from misinformation and misconceptions, with a few residents expressing fears that the free vaccines could harm their children.
“Some households still reject the vaccine due to ignorance, but the number is very small,” he added.
He commended the Toro Local Government chairman for providing support that ensured the smooth conduct of the exercise, describing the campaign as critical to the health and development of children in the area, Bauchi State and Nigeria as a whole.
Danladi also praised United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) Bauchi Field Office for training community volunteers who are mobilising residents and raising awareness on the importance of polio vaccination across villages.
According to him, UNICEF is supplying all vaccines used in the campaign to ensure that every child remains healthy and protected against communicable diseases.
He urged parents and caregivers across Toro LGA to make their children available for vaccination, stressing that immunisation is key to preventing polio and other preventable diseases.
One of the parents, Ibrahim Haruna, who has 10 children, said he initially stopped his children from receiving the polio vaccine due to ignorance.
“I did not prevent them intentionally; it was out of lack of awareness,” Haruna said.
He added that following health challenges experienced by his children and increased sensitisation, he now ensures they participate in every immunisation exercise.
“Six of my children are now healthier and stronger than before,” he said, urging other parents to accept the vaccine, noting that it reduces medical expenses and helps children grow strong and healthy.
Speaking at the event, Nuzhat Rafique of the UNICEF Bauchi Field Office said the organisation has played a significant role in polio eradication efforts across five northern states, Adamawa, Bauchi, Gombe, Taraba and Plateau.
She described UNICEF as a key partner in immunisation programmes aimed at saving children’s lives and securing their long-term health.
Rafique expressed appreciation to the governments of the five states for their continued support, saying it has been instrumental in advancing the organisation’s mission to protect children.
