Ahead of the National Immunisation Plus day (polio immunisation exercise) which kicked off at the weekend and will terminate on Tuesday, the NOA Director, Kwara State, Olusegun Adeyemi, as well as Dr Dupe Shittu (Kwara State Primary Health Care Agency) and Mrs Oladipo Bolatito, State Coordinator of the National Primary Health Care Development Agency have called on Nigerians, mothers especially to ensure that children are allowed to take the appropriate immunisation as at when due to prevent polio and other avoidable diseases.
Adeyemi highlighted these while appearing on the Friday edition of “The Platform”, a Radio Kwara phone-in enlightenment programme.
The NOA Director stated that Nigeria, though almost declared polio free earlier could not sustain the status because some parents refused to take the right immunisation and observe healthy practices, hence the need to educate Nigerians, especially people at the grassroots.
Dr Dupe Shittu on her part, noted that fever, fatigue and vomiting are some symptoms of the polio fever which can be contracted from other infected persons and objects contaminated with polio virus such as utensils.
She emphasised that once infected with polio, there is no cure, hence, prevention is better, which is why the government is putting in effort to ensure that every child is properly immunised.
Speaking on the need for house-to-house immunisation, Mrs Bolatito Oladipo stated that the oral polio immunisation vaccine would be given to children between 0-5years, free of charge and by qualified trained medical personnel who would have their Identity cards and apron on. She urged parents to bring out their children when health workers show up at their social gatherings, places of worship and schools.
Although the 2nd phase of the immunisation exercise would hold in May, parents, guardians and other stakeholders are hereby encouraged to avail their children of this first round of polio immunisation exercise, when the vaccine would be administered orally, in communities between 8am and 4pm.
