The Yobe State government has intensified campaigns against the eradication of polio with the establishment of polio “outbreak
response centres” in the border areas with Niger Republic.
The alert and response centres, according to the state’s Ministry of Health, are to cover border communities of Yusufari, Machina and Bade councils of the state.
This was disclosed by Governor Ibrahim Gaidam, while flagging off the polio outbreak response centres at Tulo-tulowa border village of Yusufari council.
He said that the strengthening of polio eradication campaigns was
sequel to three separate outbreaks of polio in neighbouring state of Borno.
“This is Obasanjo’s Nigerien border port at the Tulo-tulowa desert
village of Yusufari Local Government Area of Yobe State in the North-East of the country,” said the governor.
The border community, he said, was very difficult to access and it is
situated within the heart of the “sand dunes fixation” in the Sahel region of Nigeria.
His words: “This is a fresh mounting outbreak response centres at entry points of major towns in the state. The polio outbreak
eradication task force has also devised another strategy of combating
any occurrence or outbreak of the diseases in this state.”
The Task force Chairman, who is also the state Deputy Governor, Abubakar D.. Aliyu, led
the team to two Nigeria/Niger boarder council areas of the state to ensure that the immunization vaccines are administered to children below the age of five.
Two traditional rulers in the borders areas of Bade emirate and that of Yusufari were also tasked to ginger the massive enlightenment
campaigns against scourge of polio.
He said that the team visited several communities within the two
councils to encourage the people to always go for routine
immunization while those who have missed out for obvious reasons
should use the opportunity of house-to-house immunization exercise.
While appreciating the roles of traditional and religious leaders, the deputy governor assured that the state government would continue to play its part
in the eradication of polio.
Emir of Bade; Abubakar Umar Suleiman II, who is also the deputy
chairman; Yobe State Council of Chiefs, said that the traditional
institution would continue to supervise and monitor the effectiveness
of the exercise. He also pledged to continue to boost the morale of their subjects to ensure that oral vaccines are administered to
children.
“With the setting up of outbreak response centres at check points
across major towns of the state combined with the campaign around
inaccessible border communities in the state, Yobe is set to ensure total eradication of polio in the country,” said the monarch.