“We will never relent” - Argungu Emir vows to ensure COVID-19 vaccination in emirate amid hesitancy
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Birnin Kebbi, 3 June, 2021 - Alhaji Samaila Muhammadu Mera, the 33rd Emir of Argungu in Nigeria’s Kebbi state, has been one of the foremost traditional leaders using all resources at his disposal to ensure that his Emirate is vaccinated against infectious diseases. As a prominent member of the popular Northern Nigeria Traditional Council on Polio Eradication and Primary Health Care, Emir Muhammad was particularly active in seeing that children under five in Northern Nigeria took the polio vaccine before Nigeria was certified free of the virus, and he continues to advocate for routine immunization as routine vaccination efforts continue in the country. In this opinion article, the Emir reminisces on his experience with polio vaccination in his community and compares it to the current COVID-19 vaccination drive in the country. For the Emir, disinformation has caused a high
Nigeria not lowering guards against polio, vaccinates over 23 million children in high risk states
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Abuja, 18 December, 2020 - To buoy up the immunity of eligible children, the Federal Government of Nigeria supported by the World Health Organization (WHO) and other partners vaccinated over 23 million children in October as part of the Sub-National Immunization Plus Days (SNIPDs) campaign.
The intervention, conducted in respective states from October 31 to November 24, reached 23,041,255 eligible children (0 -59 months) in eleven states namely Bauchi, Borno, Jigawa, Kaduna, Kano, Katsina, Kwara, Niger, Sokoto, Yobe and Zamfara with the Oral Poliovirus vaccines (OPV).
The mass vaccination campaign which was the first since the outbreak of COVID-19, followed a protocol for safe implementation in the COVID-19 context, whereby personal protective equipment (PPE) and enhanced infection prevention control measures have been assured by a collaborative initiative and agile support o