Katsina Council Area Immunizes 49,171 Children Against Polio

Hajiya Sakina Zango, the Council’s Director of Health disclosed that no fewer than 49,171 children have been immunised against polio during the just concluded second round of the Outbreak Response Immunisation exercise in Sandamu Local Government Area of Katsina State.

She said the council received a total of 52,440 vaccines out of which 52,260 were used in the exercise, resulting in 100 per cent coverage across the 11 electoral wards in the area.

Zango added that 85 house-to-house teams, 25 special teams and 25 fixed posts were effectively engaged and maximally utilised during the exercise, stressing that no single case of rejection was reported.

She commended all stakeholders, including traditional, community leaders and religious leaders, and the state government for the sustenance of both polio and routine immunisation in the area.

Zango said that parents also demonstrated unprecedented cooperation by availing their children for the immunisation, adding, ”we would jealously guard and maintain this feat.”

49,218 children were earlier immunised in the area in the first round of the immunisation conducted in September.

In a related development Malam Tasiu Umar, the Council’s Mosquito Nets Logistics officer, said they had commenced the distribution of 110,900 insecticidal mosquito nets in the area.

He said 43 distribution points are being utilised, adding that additional 3,000 nets to cover those absent during the registration of eligible beneficiaries have been received and would be distributed to such people.

Umar cautioned the beneficiaries against diversion of the nets or any act of sabotage by the ad-hoc staff engaged for the exercise.

“We have formed a formidable monitoring team which goes round every nook and cranny of the distribution points to ensure that the exercise is hitch free.”

Gov. Aminu Masari recently flagged off the distribution of five million insecticidal mosquito nets across the 34 LGAs in Katsina state to combat malaria.