Stakeholders in Gombe State on Thursday emphasised the critical role of the media in driving awareness and acceptance of immunisation programmes, particularly as the state prepares for the May round of the Supplemental Immunisation Plus Days (SNIDs) campaign.
Speaking during a media engagement with journalists and social media influencers held on Thursday, Emily Madina, Gombe State Consultant for the Christian Health Association of Nigeria (CHAN), said the engagement was aimed at strengthening demand creation for vaccines.
The engagement was organised by the Gombe State Primary Health Care Development Agency in collaboration with the National Primary Health Care Development Agency, the World Health Organisation (WHO), the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), CHAI, Chigari Foundation, and the Sultan Foundation.
According to her, “The media plays a very important role in influencing people’s attitudes towards health interventions. What we are doing today is centred on demand creation ensuring communities are aware of ongoing vaccination efforts and have access to these services.”
Madina noted that beyond polio, stakeholders are also advocating for increased uptake of the Human Papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine to protect young girls from cervical cancer.
“We are not only focusing on polio. We are also promoting HPV vaccination, particularly for girls around the age of nine, to protect them early from cervical cancer,” she said.
She added that although vaccine availability may be limited, efforts are ongoing to ensure equitable access across primary healthcare centres in the state.
The consultant disclosed that the upcoming polio campaign will run from Saturday, May 2 to Tuesday, May 5, and called on parents to ensure their children are vaccinated.
“My call to parents is to take advantage of this opportunity. Allow your eligible children, especially young girls, to access the HPV vaccine. If any facility reports shortages, it should be flagged for prompt action,” she added.
Also speaking, Abubakar Muazu of the State Primary Health Care Development Agency said his presentation reviewed the performance of previous polio campaigns and identified key challenges affecting coverage.
“We assessed our progress from previous rounds to determine whether we are improving or need to intensify efforts. Some of the challenges affecting coverage were highlighted, along with strategies to address them,” he said.
Muazu clarified that the upcoming campaign will focus primarily on polio vaccination, while HPV immunisation remains part of routine services.
“We are focusing on polio for this round. HPV is part of routine immunisation, but we emphasised the need for stronger media engagement to improve its uptake, which is currently low,” he added.
