The Kano State Government has announced plans to vaccinate over 4.1 million children against polio in a statewide campaign scheduled for April 24 to 30, 2025.
The disclosure was made during a media dialogue on polio and routine immunisation held in Kano on Tuesday.
Speaking at the event, the Director General of the Kano State Primary Health Care Management Board, Dr. Nasiru Mahmoud, said the campaign is part of renewed efforts to stamp out polio in the state. He was represented by the State Immunisation Officer (SIO), Hajiya Sa’adatu Ibrahim.
Dr. Mahmoud stressed that polio is a vaccine-preventable disease and that eradication efforts depend heavily on routine immunisation, supplementary vaccinations, and efficient surveillance systems.
“In 2024, Kano State recorded 31 cases of Circulating Variant Poliovirus type 2 (CVPv2) across 17 Local Government Areas. This year alone, we have already recorded three more cases – two Acute Flaccid Paralysis (AFP) and one Environmental Surveillance (ES) – in Warawa, Bankure, and Nassarawa LGAs,”; he said.
The campaign is in alignment with national efforts to eradicate the virus completely. According to Hajiya Sa’adatu, the National Primary Health Care Development Agency (NPHCDA) is driving a strategic shift aimed at total eradication of polio by the end of 2025. However, she warned that sustained political commitment and stakeholder collaboration are crucial, especially as funding support is uncertain beyond the 2025 deadline.
She called on traditional and religious leaders, the media, and civil society organisations to intensify awareness campaigns and mobilise parents and caregivers to ensure every eligible child is reached.
Despite Nigeria being declared wild polio-free in 2020, variant strains continue to pose threats, particularly in underserved communities with low routine immunisation coverage.
