Adewale Banjo

Ogun State governor’s wife, Bamidele Abiodun, has restated the administration’s commitment to eradicate transmission of the Wild and Circulating Vaccine Derived Polio Virus among children, as well as ensure optimal healthcare for all citizens.

Mrs. Abiodun, who stated this during the flag-off ceremony of the First Round 2020 National Immunisation Plus Days (NIPDs), at Family Health Centre, Oke Ilewo, Abeokuta, said this could be achieved through regular health interventions programmes.

She said regular campaigns of NIPDs were paramount in ensuring progress was sustained in curtailing the transmission of polio virus among under-five years children, noting that the state had not recorded any case of the disease in the last 10 years.

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Commissioner for Health, Tomi Coker, represented by Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Health, Adesanya Ayinde, advised mothers and caregivers to avail their children and wards the opportunity of the exercise, noting that it would go a long way at ensuring the state remained polio free.

Also, Executive Secretary, Primary Health Care Development Board, Elijah Ogunsola, said children, ages 0-59 months, would be vaccinated with two drops of the Oral Polio Vaccine, adding that the vaccines were safe and potent.

He said the programme, which started on Saturday, February 15 will end tomorrow, adding that routine immunisation would also be administered to children at government facilities across the state during the period, free of charge.

Representatives of World Health Organisation, Sunday Abidoye; Rotary International, Festus Adetonwa; Africa Field Epidemiology Network (AFENET), Samuel Abbott; United Nations Children Emergency Fund, Florence Molokwu and the state Coordinator, National Primary Health Care Development Agency, Olatunde Adebiyi, commended Ogun government for the exercise, enjoining mothers and caregivers to inform others in their communities to bring their children and wards for vaccination.