Following the intervention and support of traditional and religious leaders, Yamaltu Deba Local Government Area is optimistic of resolving the issue of non-compliance to polio vaccine and immunisation.
Recall that in November 2024’s polio campaign, the local government recorded over 30 cases of non-compliance where parents refused to allow their children to be immunised.
However, due to the intervention of traditional and religious leaders, the non-compliance committee, social mobilization officers and the local government, the narrative is changing as the state flagged off another round of polio house-to-house immunization to rid the state of polio.
The Primary Healthcare Coordinator of Yamaltu Deba Local Government Area, Hadiza Usman Shinga, in an interview with newsmen during the monitoring exercise, said there is a high rate of compliance since the commencement of the campaign while applauding the effort and support of traditional and religious leaders in encouraging their people to allow their children to take the vaccine to prevent them from deadly diseases.
She commended the state government and the support from UNICEF and WHO for their intervention in various aspects for the health of the people.
Also, the Local Government Immunisation Officer, Ibrahim Aliyu, said the traditional and religious leaders are playing a significant role in ensuring people bring out their children to take the vaccine while commending the health teams moving from house to house for the immunisation exercise.
In the same vein, the Health Officer from UNICEF Nigeria Bauchi Field Office, Olusheyi Olosunde, who was going around monitoring the exercise, said about 80 percent of non-compliance cases were resolved through the intervention of traditional and religious leaders.
He urged them to make it a point of duty to encourage their people to accept and go for immunization to ensure no child is left unvaccinated against killer diseases.
One of the team supervisors working around Kadabur in Deba ward, Murjanatu Musa, said the exercise was going on smoothly as parents are bringing out their children to take the vaccine.
She attributed the acceptance to the level of enlightenment done on the importance of vaccines.
In Tukulma Kwadom community, one parent whose eight-month-old child was vaccinated said all her four children were vaccinated, knowing well that it will protect them from diseases.
She called on parents to allow their children to take the vaccine as it is safe and can protect them from diseases that might render them incapacitated.
