The Kano State Government in collaboration with the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) and other partners on Saturday flagged off the 2025 polio immunisation campaign in the state.

Flagging off the exercise in Warawa Local Government Area, Governor Abba Kabir -Yusuf, said the exercise was aimed at curbing the spread of the virus and protecting children from the life-threatening disease.

Mr Kabir-Yusuf, represented by his Deputy and Chairman, Task Force on Immunisation, Aminu Abdulsalam, said the resurgence of polio was a serious concern that must be tackled with urgency.

“We will not relent until Kano is completely free from the virus,” he said.

He added that the government, in collaboration with its development partners, would intensify efforts to ensure that every eligible child was reached during the exercise.

The governor urged parents and caregivers to present their children for vaccination, stressing that the vaccine was safe, effective and free.

Mr Kabir-Yusuf also commended health workers and development partners, including the World Health Organisation (WHO), the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), Dangote Foundation and other BN partners for their continued support.

Michael Banda, the UNICEF Senior Education Manager and Officer-in-Charge, Kano Field Office, said Nigeria remained central to global efforts to stop the transmission of circulating variant polio viruses.

He described Kano as a high-priority state, adding that strong leadership at all levels was crucial to ensuring that every child received life-saving vaccines.

“As the world marks Immunisation Week, it is important to reflect on the impact of vaccines, which have saved over 150 million lives globally in the past 50 years,” he said.

Mr Banda noted that recent global funding cuts posed serious threats to immunisation progress, making unified local action more important than ever.

He said that the oral polio vaccine remained safe and effective, having reduced global polio cases by 99.9 per cent, but warned that just one case could trigger an outbreak.

“To eliminate it, every child under five must be reached in every round of immunisation,” he said.

The Commissioner for Health, Dr Abubakar Labaran, said the campaign would target children under five across the 44 local government areas of the state.

He said thousands of trained personnel had been deployed to conduct house-to-house vaccination to ensure no child was left behind.

Also speaking, the 14th Emir of Kano, Muhammad Sanusi II, commended the state government for launching the exercise in Warawa LGA.

Mr Sanusi, represented by the District Head of Shanono, Lamido Sanusi, urged parents to present their children for the oral polio vaccine, describing it as safe, effective and vital to global efforts to eradicate the disease.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Kano was declared polio-free in 2020 but has recently recorded new variant cases, prompting renewed efforts to contain the disease.

(NAN)