By Terna Chikpa, Jalingo
The Taraba State Primary Health Care Development Agency (TSPHCDA), in collaboration with the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), has called on media partners to intensify public awareness campaigns ahead of the upcoming Polio Immunization exercise in the state.
According to the Nigerian Tribune, the immunization exercise—which will cover 19 northern states as well as Lagos and Oyo—targets children aged 0 to 59 months and is scheduled to hold from December 13 to 16, 2025.
Officials from TSPHCDA and UNICEF, speaking during a one-day mobilization dialogue on Thursday, said the initiative aims to strengthen children’s immune systems against polio.
They urged journalists, social media influencers, and youth leaders to step up efforts in countering misinformation and myths that could undermine the forthcoming Subnational Immunization Plus Days (SIPDs), and to ensure widespread public awareness about the exercise.
The officials also disclosed that additional routine immunizations would be administered alongside the polio vaccine. The campaign will cover wards, villages, and communities across all 16 Local Government Areas and the two Special Development Areas in Taraba State.
“We encourage parents and caregivers to make their eligible children available for vaccination. Sick children will not be vaccinated until they are fully well.
“A two-day mop-up exercise will take place after the main campaign to reach children who were not vaccinated initially and to address any cases of non-compliance,” the officials said.
