Health
AN NGO, Sultan Foundation for Peace and Development (SFPD), has engaged religious and community leaders in addressing polio vaccine rejection in Sokoto State.
The engagement was organised in collaboration with Sokoto State Ministry for Religious Affairs and the Sokoto State Primary Healthcare Development Agency (SSPHCDA) on Friday in Sokoto.
The SFPD Director of Programmes, Dr Aminu Inuwa, who described participants as “pillars of success in any programme in the society”, added that “they are the custodians and shapers of attitudes.”
Inuwa said the exercise was to strengthen demand creation for vaccination in communities and address gray areas where people needed explanations and related issues.
According to him, scholars as models in the society will be continously be
engaged on radio, television and other media interactive programmes, beside normal sermons and congregational preachings.
He added that leaders would also be engaged at all levels in the exercise and highlighted expected responsibilities, as well as chain of addressing disagreements and overall situational reports.
Inuwa reviewed the establishment of SFPD from 2013, membership across Nigeria and roles of Northern Traditional Leaders Committee on Immunisation, and cautioned officials on the dangers on corruption during the exercise.
Dr Mubarak Saleh, the State Team Lead of Solina Foundation, reviewed the criteria for personnel engagement from ward, village to local government levels and urged stakeholders to strictly abide by the guidelines.
Saleh said committee responsibility should be sacrosant, stressing the need to guard against malpractice by vaccinators, supervisors and focal officials.
He said most non-compliance cases were recorded in metropolitan local government areas comprising Sokoto North, Sokoto South, Wamakko and Bodinga, with few outside.
The team lead noted that “Sokoto State is leading with high number of cases at present, followed by some northern states.”
He urged leaders to be instrumental in addressing the hitches, as donors and governments were investing more in safeguarding peoples’ health.
According to him, one infected person can spread polio to 200 children, stressing the need for stakeholders to live up to thier responsibilities.
The Commissioner for Religious Affairs, Dr Jabir Maihula, who led the roundtable, stressed the need for broader understanding of religious point of view on diseases, treatment and preventions.
Maihula led in resolving questions from the participants, mostly on why government and donors invest on vaccinations, rather than curing diseases such as malaria and others.
He reassured that government would continue to partner relevant authorities on awareness creation, changing perceptions, vaccine acceptance, resolution of disagreements and related issues.
The commissioner further assured support for the upcoming immunisation campaign, which starts on Saturday, April 20, across the state.
The Executive Secretary of SSPHCDA, Dr Larai Tambuwal, who was represented by Director of Social Mobilisation and Advocacy, Mr Dahiru Kamarudeen, assured more support to achieve the desired success.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Sokoto State recorded 61 cases of Poliovirus Type 2 (CVDPV2), which experts blamed on inability of parents to avail their wards for immunisation and security challenges affecting the state.
This was disclosed by the Director of Disease Control of SPHCDA, Dr Bilyaminu Sifawa, during the last polio campaign in March 2023. (NAN)
Tags: Sokoto Vaccine rejection
