April 26, (THEWILL) – The governments of Borno and Yobe states have received over 3.5 million doses of polio vaccines from the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) and other global health partners as part of efforts to protect children in the region against the poliovirus.
According to officials, Borno State received 2,534,037 doses for its 2025 World Immunization Campaign, while Yobe State was allocated 1,291,501 doses.
UNICEF, in collaboration with the World Health Organization (WHO) and Gavi, said the donation was aimed at boosting immunization efforts and strengthening routine vaccination structures in the North-East.
In a joint statement, the organisations called for renewed political commitment and increased investment to prevent a resurgence of vaccine-preventable diseases.
“Vaccines have saved more than 150 million lives over the past five decades.
“But funding cuts to global health have put these hard-won gains in jeopardy. Outbreaks of vaccine-preventable diseases are rising globally, threatening lives and increasing response costs,” said WHO Director-General, Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
UNICEF Executive Director, Catherine Russell, warned that the global funding crisis was already affecting vaccination efforts, especially in fragile and conflict-hit nations.
“Vaccines save an estimated 4.2 million lives annually against 14 diseases. Yet, over 15 million vulnerable children, especially in conflict zones, are at risk of missing measles vaccinations,” Russell said.
She added that immunization services, disease surveillance, and outbreak response in nearly 50 countries were already facing severe disruptions comparable to the setbacks seen during the COVID-19 pandemic.
“We cannot afford to lose ground in the fight against preventable diseases,” she said.
