Health experts charge Kano on polio vaccine distribution

Health officials in Tofa Local Government area of the Kano State have appealed to the state government to swiftly fix the faulty vehicle for polio vaccine distribution in the LGA to prevent any avoidable factor capable of truncating the immunisation exercise in the area.

The fight against the spread of polio virus is gaining the required momentum in Kano State following uninterrupted record of over two years polio free status.

The Primary Health Care Coordinator of the LGA, Alh Salisu Abdul, who made the appeal while speaking with members of Journalists for Health during the just concluded Immunization plus day IPDs in Kano, said for over five months, they have been hiring vehicle from other government parastatals to accomplish the monthly immunisation task since their only vehicle allocated for the exercise broke down completely.

The coordinator, who admitted that the council chairman had promised to repair the vehicle, called for timely fulfilment of the promise before the next round of the IPDs to facilitate smooth running of the exercise in the area.

Speaking on the just concluded IPDs, Abdul said Tofa Local Government surpassed its targeted population of 30,699 children for this December round of IPDs, saying the health officials in the LGA were able to immunise 33,302 children, increasing the targeted figures by 2,603.

According to him, the LGA was also awarded with a gold plated cup as the best out of the 44 LGAs in Kano, on the conduct of effective immunisation exercise against polio in the state, linking the success to the selfless and unrelenting commitments of the Tofa District Head, Alh Isiyaku Omar Tofa and the religious leaders as well as other stakeholders towards embracing the exercise without recording any significant problem of vaccine rejection.

While commending all and sundry for ensuring hitch free conduct of the polio immunisation in the area, the Primary Health Care Coordinator promised that the council will sustain its status as the best performing LGA, if the existing cooperation is maintained.