The Kano State government, in collaboration with the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) and other partners, flagged off the 2025 polio immunisation campaign on Saturday.

Flagging off the exercise in Warawa Local Government Area, Governor Abba Yusuf said the exercise aimed to curb the spread of the virus and protect children from the life-threatening disease.

Mr Yusuf, represented by his deputy and chairman of the task force on immunisation, Aminu Abdulsalam, said the resurgence of polio was a serious concern that must be urgently tackled.

He added that the government, in collaboration with its development partners, would intensify efforts to ensure that every eligible child was reached during the exercise.

The governor urged parents and caregivers to present their children for vaccination, stressing that the vaccine was safe, effective and free.

Mr Yusuf commended health workers and development partners, including the World Health Organisation (WHO), the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), the Dangote Foundation and other BN partners for their continued support.

Michael Banda, the UNICEF senior education manager and officer-in-charge of the Kano Field Office, said 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 Immunisation Week, it is important to reflect on the impact of vaccines, which have saved over 150 million lives globally in the past 50 years,” he said.

Mr Banda noted that recent global funding cuts posed serious threats to immunisation progress, making unified local action more important than ever.

He said oral polio vaccine remained safe and effective, having reduced global polio cases by 99.9 per cent, but warned that just one case could trigger an outbreak.

“To eliminate it, every child under five must be reached in every round of immunisation,” he added.

The Commissioner for Health, Abubakar Labaran, said thousands of trained personnel had been deployed to conduct house-to-house vaccination to ensure no child was left behind.

Kano was declared polio-free in 2020 but has recently recorded new variant cases, prompting renewed efforts to contain the disease.

(NAN)