Oyo commences second phase polio vaccinations Oct. 9 — Official

The Oyo state government has announced that the second phase of polio vaccination for children between zero and 59 months in the state would begin on Oct. 9.

The Executive Secretary, Oyo State Primary Health Care Board, Dr Muideen Olatunji, stated this on Tuesday at a sensitisation meeting with members of the State Social Mobilisation Committee and other relevant stakeholders, in Ibadan.

Olatunji said the vaccination exercise would last for four days and that the exercise would not be limited to residential areas alone “but also cover mosques, churches, schools, religious gatherings and market places.”

He added that two additional days would be set aside to cover communities that field officers might not be able to cover within the four-day period of the programme, stressing that the additional days had become necessary to ensure proper vaccination of every child in each community.

Olatunji allayed the fears of some individuals in the state on the routine vaccination, saying that that polio vaccines had no side effects on children, but protect them against many forms of sickness.

The Executive Secretary, therefore, urged mothers and guardians across the state to make their children available for the vaccination, while calling on the general public to put aside politics and religious differences when dealing with health related issues in order to get the needed result.

Olatunji reiterated the commitment of the state government to continue working to ensure that there would not be “red flags” in any community after the vaccination exercise.

He called on community leaders, religious leaders, and other relevant stakeholders, to sensitise residents in their communities for mothers to make their children available for the exercise.

“The government will not relent in its efforts towards improving the exercise, we will also ensure partners and individuals conform with the rules of the programme for excellent results,” he stated.