By Murtala Muhammad
Bauchi State Government has confirmed the receipt of over 2.5 million doses of the Novel Oral Polio Vaccine (NOPV) for the April round of its immunisation campaign, targeting children aged zero to fifty-nine months across the state.
The State Cold Chain Officer at the Bauchi State Primary Health Care Board, Bappa Mohammed Jika, confirmed this during an inspection of the vaccine storage facility at the state Cold Store, Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University Teaching Hospital (ATBUTH) in Bauchi.
Bappa Jika stated that the vaccines were stored in optimal conditions in preparation for the upcoming immunisation exercise.
He assured that the state Primary Health Care Board would leverage traditional and social media platforms, as well as Advocacy, Communication, and Social Mobilisation (ACSM) teams, to encourage parents and guardians to present their children for vaccination.
Speaking on the initiative, the Chief of UNICEF’s Bauchi Field Office, Dr Nuzhat Rafique, disclosed that the campaign would commence in high-risk areas from 24th April, while other areas would follow from 26th to 29th April 2025.
Dr Rafique described the campaign as a “make or break” moment, highlighting that this was a critical opportunity for Bauchi State and Nigeria to contribute towards the complete eradication of polio in the country.
She noted that the state has thirteen local government areas, housing five hundred and fifty six thousand zero-dose children—those who have never received any form of vaccination.
On his part, the Health Officer, UNICEF Bauchi Field Office, Mr Patrick Akor, stated that alongside NOPV, the state would administer Routine Immunisation (RI) during the April Inactivated Poliovirus Vaccine (IPV) exercise.
He emphasised that this measure was designed to ensure that all twenty Local Government Area (LGA) teams were adequately supplied with vaccines throughout the implementation process.
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