RAJAB 14 1430 A.H.
MONDAY JULY, 6 2009.
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8m children targetted for 2009 Sokoto polio immunisation exercise
From Umar Danladi Ado, Sokoto & agency report
THE National immunisation agaisnt polio has targetted no fewer than 800, 000 children aged between five years and below in the 23 local governments of Sokoto state during the 2009 , 5th round of the sub immunisation plus days against polio which kicked off across the 19 northern states at the federation weekend .
This was disclosed during the flagged off of exercise in Arkilla village in Wamakko local government of the state by the Speaker of the state House of Assembly, Alhaji Abdullahi Silame represented by his deputy , Alhaji Sahabi Dange .
Salame said at the event that there was the need for parents in the state to ensure that their children and wards are immunised against the killer disease .
Also speaking , the commissioner of health , Dr Jabbi Kilgori appealed to traditional and religious leaders in the state not to relent in their support towards the exercise .
Kilgori stated that , this was imperative in the global struggle to keep polio and other child killer diseases at bay .
He said , the state government is doing everything humanly possible to ensure that the July 2009 target of interrupting polio from Nigeria is met .
The permanent secretary in the ministry, Alhaji Umaru Attahiru announced that , the state government centrally bought adequate pluses gifts for distribution in all the 23 local governmentss.
They included : biscuits , sweets , detergents and paracetamol tablets which are being given to each immunised child as a gift to encourage the parents to bring their children during the 4-day exercise , Attahiru explained .
The Director of Primary Healthcare in the state, Dr Abdulrazaq Gandi said that , over one million doses Of Polio Vaccines ( OPV), were distributed to the local governments in the state.
Gandi further stated that adequate personnel who were properly trained had been deployed across the state to ensure the success of the exercise .
Meanwhile , the exercise had taken off successfully in Rabah local government in the state where over 32,790 children aged five years and below are being targeted.
The Director of Health in the area, Alhaji Hassan Shehu told NAN in Rabah on Saturday that , the state government provided 38,720 doses of OPV vaccines to the local government including the assorted pluses.
The chairman of the area , Alhaji Ibrahim Muhammad also told NAN that , the local government has set aside huge amount of money to ensure that the exercise records the success it deserves.
Polio is a debilitating disease and we are leaving no stone unturned to complement the efforts of the federal and sokoto state governments to ensure its interruption soon from the country , the chairman , averred .
