Taraba records 100% success in 14 rounds of immunisation against polio – Commissioner

The Taraba Government said on Friday that it achieved 100 per cent of its target in the 14 rounds of Polio immunisation conducted in the state in the last 18 months.

The state Commissioner for Health, Dr Innocent Vakkai, who disclosed this in Jalingo, at the flag-off of the November 2017 Round of Polio Immunisation Campaign, said the targeted population was reached.

Vakkai attributed the success to the timely payment of the counterpart funds for the programme by the Gov. Darius Ishaku-led administration.

The commissioner however noted that the campaign encountered challenges in October when some people rejected the vaccine, claiming that it contained monkey pox.

“We had some difficulty in the field where some people rejected the polio vaccine claiming it had monkey pox virus.

“However, it is good to inform you that we developed different counter measures during and after the campaign; God willing, we have dispelled the rumour.

“It therefore becomes necessary to further clarify that there is no relationship between our immunisation campaign and the emergence of monkey pox virus.

“It is also important to put on record that there is no outbreak of monkey pox disease in Taraba State,’’ Vakkai said.

The Deputy Governor of the state, Alhaji Haruna Manu, said the state would continue to commit resources into immunisation campaigns.

He noted that Nigeria and Pakistan were the only countries still having cases of polio, saying that the state would do everything possible to prevent its citizens from contracting the disease.

Alhaji Aminu Hassan, the Executive Secretary, State Primary Health Care Development Agency, said the agency was committed to formulating the Integrated Primary Health Care under One Roof (PHCUOR) policy.

He explained that the PHCUOR was a national policy aimed at reducing fragmentation in primary health care service delivery, and integrating the services under one authority.

Hassan commended the WHO and UNICEF for supporting the campaign as well as the efforts of the Igbo community in the state in dispelling the monkey pox rumour among the people.