The Lagos State Government in collaboration with the National Primary Health Care Development Agency will commence a state-wide novel oral polio immunisation exercise on Saturday
This was disclosed in a statement signed by the Permanent Secretary, Lagos State Primary Health Care Board, Dr Ibrahim Mustafa, on Thursday.
Mustafa said, “The immunisation campaign which will commence from Saturday, December 17 to Tuesday, December 20, 2022, is aimed at addressing the increase in transmission of a new strain virus due to low routine immunisation coverage occasioned by COVID-19, security challenges and poor access to health.
The Lagos State Government, with support from its partners, has recommended that children of age 0 to five years will receive the novel Oral Polio Virus and the objective is to ensure that all children receive two drops of the vaccine irrespective of their previous immunisation status.
“The routine vaccination team will be visiting all households, hospitals, schools, churches, mosques, recreational grounds, estates, markets, shopping plazas, and other places to carry out the exercise and we solicit the support of parents, guardians, congregants and estate executives, among others.”
Despite having achieved the wild polio-free certification on August 25, 2020, Nigeria still had cases of vaccine-derived poliovirus Type 2.