Oyo State Government, on Tuesday, announced the commencement of the second phase of polio vaccination for children between zero to 59 months.
The Executive Secretary, Oyo State Primary Health Care Board, Dr. Muideen Olatunji while speaking at the sensitization meeting for state Social Mobilization Committee Members and other relevant stakeholders, held in Ibadan, said the exercise will commence on Saturday,9th October 2021.
Dr. Olatunji, while allaying the fears of some individuals in the state on the routine vaccination, explained that the polio vaccine has no side effects on children, but protect them against any form of sickness.
He maintained that the vaccination exercise will last for four days, adding that the exercise will not be limited to residentials but also covers mosques, churches, schools, religious gatherings and marketplaces.
He hinted that two additional days have been set aside to cover communities that field officers might not be able to cover during the four days program so as to ensure proper vaccination of every child in each community.
He urged mothers and guardians in nooks and crannies of the state to make their children available to the immunization team that would be deployed to their communities for a hitch-free exercise.
Dr. Olatunji harped on the need for the general public to put aside politics and religious differences while dealing with health-related issues in order to get the needed result.
He noted that the government will continue to work hard to ensure that there are no red flags in any community after the vaccination exercise.
“Immunization is not poisonous, it is free and safe for children ”
”200 children have tendencies of developing one health challenge or the other in a community where only one child is immunized ”
“We are calling on community leaders, religious leaders and other relevant stakeholders to spread the message in their communities for mothers to make their children available for the exercise.”
“The government will not relent in its efforts towards improving on the exercise, we will also ensure partners and individuals conform with the rules of the program for excellent result”
Also speaking, Hajia Aminat Yahya, called for effective communication, group mobilization and house to house campaign by relevant stakeholders to change the narrative in local government areas of the state that are with red flags at the moment.
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