The Kaduna State Primary Health Care Development Agency has immunized a total of 2.6 million children in the state in the just concluded routine polio immunization exercise.
The Director of Disease Control in the Agency, Mr. Hamza Ibrahim Ikara told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Kaduna on Thursday that the immunization exercise was conducted from Jan. 10 to Jan. 17.
He said that the exercise was conducted in all the 23 local government areas of the state and assured that the agency would continue to monitor the situation to ensure that no child was left out.
The director said that any child who missed taking the immunization during the routine exercise would be captured in a mop-up immunization later.
He appealed to parents to support the agency in its bid at ensuring complete eradication of the virus in the state.
Ikara further assured that the vaccines are safe, and all eligible persons who make themselves available would freely receive it.
He said that when children in a community are not adequately immunized and they get exposed to a weakened but mutated strain of the poliovirus, they come out with a manifestation of the disease.
The director said that the poliovirus was a devastating disease that had caused severe illness and had led to the loss of function of one or more limbs.
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According to him, the infection leaves the child with lifelong complications, hence limiting opportunities and diminishing the chances of a child reaching his or her full potentials in life.
Ikara said that a mop-up vaccination would be conducted in the next four weeks.
He appreciated the support of the state government for ensuring that residents are protected, diseases are prevented and those in need of care get it. (NAN)
