Rotary International District 9112, in order to raise awareness of the need for every child to receive the polio vaccine as part of the global campaign to finally eradicate the illness, has organised a walk in Ijebu Ode with the theme “Keep polio at zero.”
Mr. Femi Adenekan, the District Governor of Rotary International, stated that even though Nigeria was declared polio-free four years ago, polio vaccination and funding must continue because as long as one child has polio, the entire globe is at risk of contracting the disease.
He said that Pakistan and Afghanistan still have high rates of polio, and the walk by Rotary International District 9112 in Ijebu Ode and later on in Lagos on the 24th of October is to bring it to the conscience of the public the need to end polio all over the world.
Mr. Adenekan declared: “All children worldwide are at risk if one child has polio.” No child is secure. Our message is: let’s eradicate polio worldwide and keep it at zero in Nigeria. We are all living in a global village. Any youngster can infect another child from anywhere in the world. We must thus keep up our efforts to eradicate polio.
District Polio Plus Committee Chairperson, Past Assistant Governor of Rotary, Adenike Abdul-Azeez, stated that the goal of the polio eradication awareness walk in the Ijebu and Remo axis was to introduce a high level of polio awareness campaign in the area so that newborns are vaccinated to guarantee herd immunity.
According to her, polio is spread by the faecal-oral route, and in areas with inadequate hygiene and no access to drinkable water, there is a remote chance of vaccine-derived polio infections.
“So, it is still crucial to make sure that kids don’t consume the excrement of vaccinated people. The vaccination we currently use has a very low risk of producing vaccine-derived polio infection, even if it does occur,” she added.
Special Adviser on Health Matters to Ogun State Governor Dapo Abiodun, Dr Temitayo Lawal, said polio can be eliminated since it is preventable by vaccination and there is a surveillance system in place to keep an eye on it in the environment because even one incidence of polio can endanger other children.
Although Nigeria has been proclaimed polio-free, he said, polio vaccine awareness must be maintained to guarantee that children are immunised and paralyse-free.
He gave his word that Governor Abiodun would do everything in his power to ensure that the PHCs had the facilities and equipment needed to provide healthcare at the grassroots, particularly.
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