POLIO: Absence of cold store delays implementation of immunisation in Kano Council

Disturbed by a slight delay being experienced in the course of daily implementation of the ongoing Routine Immunisation (RI) against polio virus in Kano, official of Tarauni Local Government Area of the state has called on the state government to facilitate provision of Cold Store in the LGA.

The Council’s Head of Primary Health Care Department, Comrade Nuhu Muhammad Rimigado, said in an ideal situation, the council supposed to have its own cold store where frozen ice parks that guarantee potency of the polio vaccine is being kept, a few days before the commencement of RI implementation, but they always transport the ice park from Nassarawa hospital to the council for onward distribution to 10 wards and over 200 settlements of the LGAs on daily basis.

Comrade Rimigado said though they always meet up with the distribution of the ice parks to the respective destinations, early take off of the exercise is very important to ensure timely completion of the vaccinators’ daily target.

The HOD also disclosed that though the council recorded a number of noncompliance by some defiant residents, citing too much rounds at Hotoro, Ungwua Uku Cikin Gari and Ungwua Guanu, 85% of those cases had been addressed as at third day of the ongoing exercise through the concerted efforts of traditional and religious leaders among other key stakeholders in the area.

In the same vein, the ongoing routine immunization also received boost in Kano Municipal LGA as the council surpassed its target population of 78,198 across its thirteen wards as disclosed by its HOD Primary Health Care, Alkasi Idris Muhammad Rimigado.

He said some areas including Gandu Alubasa and Sharada where cases of rejection of the polio vaccine are rampant, recorded huge turn out during this month of July round due to massive sensitization campaign embarked upon by concerned authorities prior to the commencement of the exercise.

He commended the state government for being consistent with payment of its counterpart fund to complement other partners’ interventions, therefore calling on parents and guardians to take the immunization exercise as utmost priority so as to sustain the zero case status till the country would be formally certified polio free in the next few years.