FIC Report (Nasarawa State) – The Nasarawa State Government in collaboration with the United Nations Children’s Fund and the State Primary Healthcare Development Agency (NSPHCDA), has announced a large-scale polio outbreak response campaign scheduled to commence on Saturday, 28 March, 2026.
The campaign aims to vaccinate over 1.3 million children aged 0 to 59 months across the state to curb the persistence of the virus and boost population immunity.
Health Specialist (Immunization) with the UNICEF Kaduna Field Office, Dr Ahmed Tsofo, who spoke during a media engagement in Lafia, emphasised the gravity of the disease, he noted that “Polio is a viral disease that causes permanent disability and sometimes death, it spreads through contaminated food and water. If one child is infected, 200 more children around them are at immediate risk. This is why we must adopt a mass campaign strategy to reach every eligible child.”
He attributed the continued persistence of the virus to poor sanitation, open defecation, and clogged drainage systems, which provide breeding grounds for the virus to survive in the environment.
Dr Tsofo urged parents to make their children available for both the oral polio vaccine (OPV) and the injectable vaccines provided during routine immunization.
He further called on the media to help debunk myths regarding vaccine safety. “The vaccine works, and it is safe.”
“The media must help us popularize the dates and the strategy which includes house-to-house visits and fixed posts so that every parent understands this is a life-saving intervention”, Dr Tsofo stressed.
Representing the Executive Secretary of the (NAPHDA), Dr Iskilu Usman Saleh, Director of Health Education and Social Mobilization, Dr Mohammed Abubakar Ibrahim, highlighted the agency’s intensive preparation for the five-day exercise, which runs from 28 March to 1 April.
“Our target is to reach at least 1.3 to 1.5 million children, to achieve this, we are leveraging the vital role of the media to disseminate accurate and timely information to every stratum of society”.
He said the agency has been engaged in a week-long series of consultations with critical stakeholders. Following meetings with religious leaders and school authorities, where 80% of the target population is found, the agency is also coordinating with Local Government Chairmen and traditional rulers to ensure no household is bypassed.
“Health workers will be deployed across all 147 wards of the state starting Saturday. Residents are encouraged to cooperate with the teams to ensure a polio-free future for the children of Nasarawa State”, Ibrahim added.
ARI, LIMAN AMINU.
HEAD OF CENTRE,
FIC, LAFIA.
