By Ibrahim Muhammad
Jigawa State Primary Health Cares Development Agency (JSPHDA) has announced plans to vaccinate over 1.5 million children in Jigawa State as part of a nationwide polio immunisation campaign scheduled to begin on Saturday, March 28, to 2rd April 2026.
State Health promotion Officer, Sani Yusuf disclosed this during a media dialogue organised by JSPHDA in collaboration with UNICEF on Monday.
He stressed that the success of the exercise largely depends on the cooperation of parents and caregivers, urging them to make their children available for vaccination teams.
He explained that the campaign plan includes DOPV (Direct Oral Polio Vaccination) on Thursday and Friday, house-to-house vaccination from Saturday to Tuesday, and mop-up activities on Wednesday and Thursday aimed at covering over 95% of children in the state.
UNICEF Jigawa State Team Leader, Jibril Shu’aibu, said, the campaign, which will run across selected states in Nigeria, is aimed at sustaining efforts to eliminate the remaining traces of the poliovirus and prevent its resurgence among children under the age of five.
He said , the vaccination would conducted house-to-house as well as at the designated fixed posts to ensure no child is missed.
He called on families to take advantage of the exercise, describing the polio vaccine as safe, free, and effective for protecting children against lifelong disability.
Also representative of the World Health Organization (WHO) Dr. Aliyu Muhammad Salisu, said although Nigeria has eradicated polio since 2018, continuous immunisation is critical to completely wipe out the virus.
He advised, Parents and caregivers to cooperate fully with health workers during the exercise to ensure that every eligible child is reached and protected.
