Tina Amanda
Rivers State Primary Health Care Management Board has called on School Head Teachers, parents and caregivers within Obio-Akpor and Ahoada West local government areas to allow their children between zero to five years old to be immunized with the polio vaccine.
The Director, Community Health Services of the Board, Dr Isaac Opurum, stated this during a media meeting on the forthcoming sub-immunization plus days activities, mapped out for selected local government areas, Ward’s and settlements.
According to him, the sub-immunization was as a result of the national sub-NIPDS programme assessment survey which revealed that two local government areas in Rivers State namely; Obio-Akpor and Ahoada West, had poor polio vaccine coverage.
“By the time they did the assessment survey, it was identified that we failed the expectation in two local government areas. Because of that, we are revisiting these LGAs again. So, we are telling the public concerned that the state and the federal government cannot poison their children, they should come out and embrace the polio vaccination, it is free and safe.
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“There are Six (6) Wards in Ahoada West and six (6) Wards in Obio-Akpor local government areas where low polio vaccination coverage was recorded. We have trained the health personnel that will carry out the vaccination, we have also mobilized them to the various Wards and settlements.
He stressed that the polio vaccination is important because no child should be left out, adding that if every child is immunized, Nigeria will be certified as polio free nation.
On her part, State Health Educator, Dr Doris Nria, said that the low coverage of polio immunization in the LGAs, Wards and communities were due to environmental challenge such as floods.
“This Immunization is to cover some areas where we found out that it was not properly covered, last year we had some challenges, some of the communities most especially Ahoada West area witnessed so much flood, which made the residents relocate to other areas.
“Our health workers couldn’t access these settlements, so the state government and our partners such as WHO asked us to go back to those communities and get the children immunized
Our correspondent, Tina Amanda, gathered that the sub-immunization plus days exercise will kick off on Saturday 11th to 14th January in the following Wards in Ahoada West local government; Emezi, Joinkrama, Mbiama, Ebiriba, Odioku, Upatabo, and these Wards in Obio-Akpor local government, Ward 1, Ward 11, Ward 12, Ward 13, Ward 14, Ward 10.
