Kano Govt, UNICEF Launch 2025 Polio Vaccination Campaign

The Kano State government, in collaboration with the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) and other partners, has launched the 2025 polio immunization campaign to curb the spread of the virus and protect children from the life-threatening disease.

The campaign, which was flagged off on Saturday in Warawa Local Government Area, aims to reach every eligible child in the state and ensure that they receive the life-saving vaccine.

Governor Abba Yusuf, represented by his deputy and chairman of the task force on immunization, Aminu Abdulsalam, emphasized the importance of the exercise, stating that the resurgence of polio was a serious concern that must be urgently tackled.

“We must intensify our efforts to ensure that every eligible child is reached during this exercise,” he said. “The vaccine is safe, effective, and free, and we urge parents and caregivers to present their children for vaccination.”

The governor commended health workers and development partners, including the World Health Organization (WHO), UNICEF, the Dangote Foundation, and other partners for their continued support. He noted that the government was committed to working with its partners to ensure that every child in the state was protected from the disease.

Michael Banda, the UNICEF senior education manager and officer-in-charge of the Kano Field Office, said that Nigeria remained central to global efforts to stop the transmission of circulating variant polioviruses. He described Kano as a high-priority state, adding that strong leadership at all levels was crucial to ensure every child received life-saving vaccines.

“As the world marks Immunization Week, it is essential to reflect on the impact of vaccines, which have saved over 150 million lives globally in the past 50 years,” he said. “However, recent global funding cuts pose serious threats to immunization progress, making unified local action more important than ever.”

Banda noted that the oral polio vaccine remained safe and effective, having reduced global polio cases by 99.9 percent. However, he warned that just one case could trigger an outbreak, emphasizing the need for every child under five to be reached in every round of immunization.

The Commissioner for Health, Abubakar Labaran, said that thousands of trained personnel had been deployed to conduct house-to-house vaccination to ensure that no child was left behind. He noted that Kano was declared polio-free in 2020 but had recently recorded new variant cases, prompting renewed efforts to contain the disease.