By Joyce Remi-Babayeju
The Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) on Friday, flagged off the oral polio vaccination exercise targeted at over 2.4 children in all the Six Area Councils of the territory.
Executive Secretary, FCT Primary Healthcare Board, Dr Isah Vatsa disclosed this during a press briefing to flag- off of the routine immunization of ‘fractional lnactivated polio vaccine (fipv)and novel oral polio vaccine (nOPV2), in the Territory.
Vatsha disclosed that the target is to vaccinate 1, 274,415 children with (noPV2), while 1,210,588 will take (fiPV) .
He explained that the phase1 of the immunization, which will start on 29th July to August 4th, covers five Area Councils, Abaji, Kwali, Kuje, Gwagwalada and Bwari, while the phase 2 of the vaccination would be carried out in Abuja Municipal Area council, from August 5th to August 11th.
The PHCB Executive Secretary told newsmen that several strategies had been deployed to ensure that every eligible child is reached during the immunization amid to ensure the success of the exercise.
“The immunization campaign we are starting in the FCT on 29th July to August 11, is a supplementary immunization exercise aimed at interrupting the risk of transmission of all forms of the poliovirus and boosting the routine immunization coverage in the FCT.”
“All the PHC facilities and government hospitals in the Six Area Councils of the FCT will be used as vaccination post. This will help ease stress on the parents and care givers, there will be temporary vaccination posts situated in workshop Centres, schools, markets, village squares and other designated centres identified by the communities.”
According to Vatsha , the FCT Administration in partnership with its partners on immunization is committed to the campaign aimed at improving the health and well-being of the children and residents of the territory.
The Coordinator, World Health Organization, WHO, FCT, Dr Kumshida Yakubu Balami, stated that the vaccination would help in the fight against poliovirus in the city, which is one of the flagship points of WHO.
Balami said the key priorities for the exercise also include immediate implementation of the integrated fIP & RI intensification across the country.
She said , ” Significant progress has been made in the effort to address the evolving risk of circulating vaccine-derived poliovirus type 2 (cVDPV2) in Nigeria, which FCT is not an exception, as an 89% decline in cVPV2 cases as of Week 15 of 2023.”
According to her, reasons for missed settlements and Major risks associated with the transmission of cVPD2 include low immunity to type 2 poliovirus due to low IPV coverage, evolving insecurity, heightened insecurity, displacement of settlements, and hard-to-reach/rugged terrain, restricting access to vaccination have created a pool of unreached children.
Others she stated are malnutrition, poor Sanitation, polio surveillance Gaps among Nomadic/Migrant population movements and presence of orphan cVPV2 virus detections, and high risk of breakthrough/continuous transmission in states with a known history of being sources for international spread of NIE cVPV2 emergencies amongst others.
