Health

7m children to get measles-rubella, polio vaccines in Kano as govt intensifies campaign nationwide

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Kano State will on October 6 begin a major vaccination campaign targeting more than seven million children with measles-rubella and polio vaccines.

Dr. Ahmad Tijjanu Habibu, Director of Disease Control at the Kano State Primary Healthcare Management Board, announced this on Monday during a media dialogue on the upcoming exercise.

“This is a very important dialogue because the media are our friends, and this campaign is unique. We have never had such a campaign in the history of Nigeria. It is the largest campaign in the whole of sub-Saharan Africa.”

According to him, Nigeria is aiming to vaccinate 106 million children nationwide, while Kano alone is targeting over seven million.

He explained that the integrated campaign will deliver multiple vaccines in one package, including routine immunization, hepatitis, HPV, polio, and treatment for onchocerciasis, a neglected tropical disease (NTD).

“The reason for this integration is to increase efficiency, save costs, and also reduce the burden of numerous campaigns on the public. Instead of having different campaigns one after the other, this approach allows us to deliver everything at once.”

He stressed the need for public awareness, noting that each vaccine has a different age range.

“For routine immunization, the target is children 0 to 23 months. For measles-rubella, it is 9 months to 14 years, while polio targets under-fives. For onchocerciasis in six LGAs, we are targeting children above 5 years,” he explained.

Habibu also highlighted why the measles-rubella vaccine is being introduced.

“We used to have measles vaccine alone, but evidence shows that despite vaccination, some children still come down with measles in a milder form. This has been linked to rubella. That is why the new vaccine combines measles and rubella,” he said.

Rahama Rihood, Chief of UNICEF Field Office in Kano, noted that the campaign, being carried out in collaboration with the Federal Ministry of Health, National Primary Health Care Development Agency (NPHCDA), WHO, Gavi, Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, civil society groups and the Kano State Government, will be implemented using fixed posts, temporary posts and sweep teams.

According to him, Nigeria plans to carry out the exercise across all 36 states in two phases with Kano among the states in the first phase.

He commended the progress Kano made in reducing polio cases in Kano from 31 cases in 2024 to three in 2025.

Farah stressed the need for stronger government involvement to reach full eradication.

“With only two months until December, the agreed date for achieving this goal, UNICEF calls on the Kano State Government and LGAs to intensify efforts, release counterpart funds on time and sustain strong supervision of the campaign,” he said.

Also speaking, Maryam H. Umar, the Kano State Coordinator of the National Primary Health Care Development Agency (NPHCDA), called on the media to play a critical role in the success of the campaign.

“Our message is clear. We depend on you, the media, to share accurate information on vaccine benefits and target age groups. We also depend on you to mobilize communities, dispel myths and promote vaccine uptake, especially among hard-to-reach populations.”

The 10-day campaign, which may be extended by two days, will run from October 6 to 16 across Kano State.

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