Accompany polio immunization officials – Bauchi Emir charges ward heads, as polio resurfaces

The Emir of Bauchi, Alhaji Rilwanu Suleiman Adamu has emphasized the need for ward heads to always accompany house to house teams during immunisation plus days to avoid non compliance by households.

The Emir’s call came as circulating vaccine derived polio virus type 2 has been confirmed in Bauchi local government area of the state.

He called for intense environmental sanitation and close supervision while promising support to eradicate the virus in his domain.

The Daily Times reports that the latest strain of the virus are from isolated environmental samples collected from Gwallaga mosque area, Obuna Royal hotel refuse site, Shafa Bridge and FGGC drainage.

The circulating vaccine derived polio virus is linked to the one earlier discovered in Hadeja Jigawa state.

Since the detection, WHO, Unicef, the state government and traditional leaders have intensified efforts to check its spread.

One of such is a meeting with the emir of Bauchi Alh Rilwanu Suleiman Adamu and the chairman social mobilisation, the Emir of Dass Alhaji Usman Bilyaminu Othman.

State coordinator World Health Organization (WHO), Dr Adamu Ningi said “on a monthly basis samples were collected from these locations and it has been discovered that the cvdpv was form at Gwallaga mosque area which links three wards of Makama B, Hardo and Dankade”.

Dr Khalid Abubakar who represented the Coordinator said the new strain was as a result of non compliance to immunisation schedules.

In Bauchi LGA, only 52% of children are fully immunised, 29% didn’t complete while 19% have never been immunised.

On his part, the Emir of Dass and chairman social mobilisation Alhaji Usman Bilyaminu Othman said “the state has been without any reported case of polio for over 5 years but today its unfortunate to record a new case despite efforts to prevent its resurgence from reported cases in Yobe and Jigawa states”.

Bilyaminu who blamed the immunisation teams of failure to report non compliance cases in the past coupled with poor supervision said the aim of the meeting was to discussed with the traditional leaders and seek ways to contending the virus.

UNICEF state lead communication, Dr Shakhawar Hossain calls for intense campaigns to be mounted and traditional leaders should be on ground to answer key questions on the polio immunisation.

The caretaker committee chairman Bauchi local government area, Chindo Abdu promised to provide the needed support to eradicate the virus from the state.