Gombe State is set to vaccinate 928 children in the ongoing Out Break Response (OBR) and Immunizstion Plus Days (IPD) against polio and other diseases, the State Immunisation Officer said, Mr Alex Bako.
Bako said that the state had to continue the immunisation after being certified free because of the detection of polio in Borno, a neighbouring state, in 2016.
The Minister of Health, Prof. Isaac Adewole had, in August 2016, confirmed an outbreak of wild polio virus in Borno State after the country celebrated two years without a case of polio.
He said the state had conducted six round of the OBR since the detection, adding that seven rounds would be conducted in 2017 to ensure every child in the state is protected.
“So far, the coverage is going well in the 11 Local Government Areas of the state. We expect a little problem from three out of the 11 LGAs namely Yamaltu, Deba and Akko.
“These are the high risk LGAs, there were few cases of resistance, though not directly. What the parent do, they normally tell the ad-hoc workers that the children are not available while they hide them somewhere in the house,” he said.
Bako said, the government was encouraging traditional and religious leaders to sensitize parents in the need to scale up the immunisation.
The immunisation commenced on Saturday and it will last for five days. (NAN)