Polio and the plight of unvaccinated children in Katsina state

Poliomyelitis, popularly known as "polio," is a virus that can cause paralysis in an unvaccinated child, usually under the age of five. Experts say it leads to paralysis and can sometimes be life-threatening.

“The virus is transmitted by person-to-person spread mainly through the fecal-oral route or, less frequently, by a common vehicle, for example, contaminated water or food“, said a World Health Organization (WHO) report.

There is no cure for polio, though it is preventable using the oral polio vaccine (OPV).

Nigeria was declared wild poliovirus-free in 2020. However, the circulating Variant Polio Virus 2 (cVPV2) strain's transmission continues. In 2022 alone, Nigeria reported 168 cases.

In spite of Nigeria being declared polio-free, Katsina State still has the highest number of unvaccinated children.

On May 15, the Katsina State Government, in collaboration with UNICEF, commenced routine immunization in the state, targeting 2.9 million children.

Speaking at the event, the Executive Secretary, Katsina State Primary Healthcare Development Agency, Dr. Shamsuddeen Yahaya, said the first phase of the exercise will cover 13 out of the 34 Local Government Areas (LGAs) in the state.

According to him, the immunization also covered other vaccine-preventable diseases and targeted children under 59 months.

Yahaya explained that the agency was working with other development partners and NGOs to ensure that children in the area were reached in spite of the security challenges.

“Although Nigeria has been certified polio-free since 2020, the country has two circulating variants of the polio virus, which have the potential to spread and cause serious setbacks.

“Based on that, the National Primary Healthcare Development Agency (NPHCDA) and all other partners deemed it fit to carry out this campaign to strengthen our immunity.

"Also, it was aimed at ensuring that the virus does not creep back into our communities. Other routine immunization services will be continued in order to ensure that the state has healthy children“, he said.

Yáhaya explained that the agency has since embarked on a series of campaigns and conferences, among other activities, aimed at mobilizing the communities to come out and take the vaccines.

In his speech, Dr. Ogu Enemaku, a social and behavior change specialist with the UNICEF Kano field office, said the exercise was a very important development.

He said that Katsina has the highest number of unvaccinated children in the country; hence, it is an opportunity to vaccinate all of them.

“This flag-off is very important because it’s not polio alone; routine immunization is also part of it.

“So, it’s an opportunity to have as many unvaccinated children vaccinated as possible. UNICEF is fully supporting this initiative in Katsina State.

“My message to the general public is that vaccination is safe, free, and the easiest way to keep our family healthy. Therefore, every family or caregiver should make the children available to be vaccinated.”

In an interview with NAN, Alhaji Hassan Isa, the Magajin Garin Batagarawa, said the exercise was a welcome development, especially in their rural communities.

According to him, for many years the immunization was carried out, but there was no success like now because the traditional, religious, and community leaders were not involved in the exercise.

He explained that the involvement of religious and traditional leaders would help mobilize the people to accept the vaccine.

According to him, the exercise has been a huge success in recent times because the general public has been informed about it through religious leaders and traditional rulers who mobilize their communities using town criers.

“Since the introduction of the polio immunization, the community has not been experiencing paralysis among their children, while deaths from other child killer diseases have drastically reduced.

Malama Hauwa Habib, a 45-year-old mother of six sacked by insecurity from the Kandawa community in Batsari LGA of the state, also embraced the immunization exercise.

He said, “Since the introduction of the polio immunization, the community has not been experiencing sickness or defects in children related to the disease.

Malama Hauwa Habib, a 45-year-old mother of six sacked by insecurity from the Kandawa community in Batsari LGA of the state, also embraced the immunization exercise.

“My daughter is now five weeks old, and I have to present her for the vaccination because all my children have been vaccinated in our village.

“When I compare my children with those that were not vaccinated, I understand more the importance of the vaccination because my children are always looking healthier than them.

“I am not in my village at the moment; we left our community because of the insecurity, but I still insisted that my five-week-old baby must be vaccinated,” Hauwa said.

Experts say the efforts to vaccinate every child in Kastina State should be sustained because no child is safe when one child is not vaccinated.

By Abbas Bamalli