Kano State, in collaboration with the United Children Fund (UNICEF), is set to launch a historic Integrated Measles-Rubella and Polio Vaccination Campaign in October 2025. This ambitious initiative aims to vaccinate over 7.8 million children within Kano State, representing a significant portion of the 106 million children targeted nationwide in Nigeria.

The comprehensive 10-day campaign, scheduled from October 6-17, will deliver multiple critical health services. It targets children aged 9 months to 14 years for the measles-rubella vaccine, while children under five years old will receive polio vaccines. Additionally, infants between 0 and 23 months will receive routine immunizations, and the campaign will also provide immunization for human papillomavirus (HPV) and treatment for onchocerciasis.

Prof. Salisu Ibrahim, Director General of the State Primary Healthcare Management Board, represented by Dr. Ahmed Tijana, Director of Disease Control and Immunization, hailed the campaign as the largest in Sub-Saharan Africa. Dr. Tijana emphasized the strategic benefits of this integrated approach, stating that it "saves costs, reduces the burden of multiple campaigns, and delivers health services in a single package."

Extensive preparations have been finalized for the campaign, including the deployment of 3,347 vaccination teams. UNICEF and its partners have supported the provision of 4.6 million doses of novel oral polio vaccine and 4.5 million doses of bivalent oral polio vaccine, ensuring wide coverage and effectiveness.

Rahama Farah, Chief of UNICEF Field Office Kano, noted that Kano is a key participant in Phase One of the national campaign, which covers 21 states. He highlighted the urgent need to halt polio transmission, referencing Kano's progress in reducing variant polio virus (cVPV2) cases to three in 2025, a substantial decrease from 31 cases in 2024. UNICEF, alongside the Federal Ministry of Health, WHO, Gavi, the Gates Foundation, and various civil society partners, has provided crucial support through training over 3,000 health workers and community mobilizers, and distributing information materials to foster acceptance.

Both state officials and UNICEF representatives urged journalists to play a vital role in sensitizing the public to ensure maximum campaign coverage. Farah stressed that "vaccines are safe, effective, and free," appealing to parents and caregivers to ensure their children are available for this crucial vaccination effort to protect community health.