April 28, (THEWILL) – The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) and the Borno State Government have disclosed plans to vaccinate over three million children against polio and administer Vitamin A supplements across the state.
Mamita Bora Thakkar, Officer-in-Charge and UNICEF Chief of the Maiduguri Field Office, revealed this on Saturday during the flag-off of the Maternal, Newborn and Child Health (MNCH) Week in Maiduguri.
According to Thakkar, the MNCH Week is an annual initiative that provides an opportunity for children and caregivers to access integrated health services within their communities.
“The primary goal of the week-long activity is to intensify the delivery of high-impact interventions, including Vitamin A supplementation for children aged 6–59 months, deworming for children aged 12–59 months, malnutrition screening for children aged 0–59 months, and the provision of Iron, Folic Acid, and Multiple Micronutrient Supplements to pregnant women,” she said.
She added that other services offered during the campaign include counselling on maternal nutrition and infant and young child feeding, vaccination for children and pregnant women, family planning services, and HIV testing. Thakkar noted that the interventions are aimed at improving maternal health and enhancing child survival and development.
In her remarks, Chairman of the Borno State Primary Healthcare Development Agency (SPHCDA) Board, Hajia Yagana Alkali, commended Governor Babagana Umara Zulum for his commitment to children’s health and welfare.
“He has given us the mandate to eradicate polio, and we are committed to achieving this,” she said.
Also speaking, the Executive Secretary of the SPHCDA, Prof. Mohammed Arab, explained that integrating polio immunization into the MNCH Week activities would help optimize resources and halt the spread of the virus.
Represented by the Director of Healthcare and Community Health Services at the SPHCDA, Dr Abdulwahab Mala, Arab said:
“We are adopting a house-to-house approach, and volunteer community mobilisers will be part of the teams.
During the process, all eligible children will be identified and referred to the nearest facility.
This strategy aims to strengthen both nutrition and routine immunization services, which are critical to eradicating polio and minimizing its impact,” he added.
