Rotary Urges Parents, Schools, Religious Bodies to Immunise their Children against Polio

Adibe Emenyonu in Benin City

Though Nigeria is free from polio disease, the Rotary Club International has called on mothers, schools and religious organisations to open their doors for the vaccination of children from zero to five years against the polio diseases which has been curtailed globally except in Pakistan and Afghanistan.

The group made the appeal as part of activities to mark this year’s World Polio Day tagged: “Kickout Polio To Zero” which held in Benin City, capital of Edo State.

Speaking during a road show to mark the event, Chairman Edo State Polio Plus Representative, Oyaseh Ivowi called on the media to be part of the advocacy for continuous vaccination against polio even though Nigeria is free to ensure that the ailment does not resurface.

He said “Only two countries Pakistan and Afghanistan still have presence of polio globally, We are here to mark the day and to appeal to the media that the fight is not finished and the game is not over until every country of the world is polio free.

“We will not rest on our oars and we will continue to make sure that polio is at zero in Nigeria. We will cooperate with the rest of the world to ensure polio free. The main fight against polio is immunisation so we have to continue to immunise until the world is polio free because it is transferable. Let us continue to immunise.”

The Cluster Consultant, World Health Organisation (WHO), Mrs Winnie Aigbojie lamented that some mothers were denying their children immunisation and appealed that they should make themselves available for the next exercise.

She said “During the last polio immunisation exercise, many mothers refused to bring their children out for vaccination. Our mothers should ensure that all children from zero to five years are immunised against polio. The exercise is the normal polio vaccine that we are still giving to children so they should ensure that they bring their children forward to take it.

“School teachers should also endeavor to allow our teams to vaccinate children in schools. Same thing to the clergy in churches. We have been doing this before, and it has not changed because we want to keep polio at zero.”

Receiving the group, Chairman of NUJ, Sir Roland Osakue pledged the continued support of journalists in Edo State on the campaign to sustain the zero level of polio in Nigeria.