NewNow Extra

The Adamawa State Government has launched the 2026 National Immunisation Plus Days (NIPDs), targeting no fewer than 1.4 million children across the state.

The Executive Chairman of the Adamawa State Primary Health Care Development Agency (ADSPHCDA), Dr. Bashir Suleiman Sai’du, said the exercise is aimed at sustaining the state’s polio-free status.

Speaking at a media briefing in Yola, Sai’du stressed that continuous vaccination campaigns remain critical to preventing a resurgence of the disease.

He disclosed that 1,685 personnel have been deployed for the four-day exercise, operating through house-to-house, fixed, mobile, and special teams to ensure wide coverage.

According to him, the campaign, which began on March 29, will run until April 1, with an additional two days set aside for mop-up operations in missed areas across 226 wards in 21 local government areas.

Sai’du also called on the media to intensify public awareness, noting that cases of polio re-emergence are often linked to travel to countries with low immunisation coverage.

At the official flag-off at Atiku Abubakar Health Centre in Yola North, government officials and development partners, including WHO, UNICEF, and e-Health Nigeria, urged parents to present their children for vaccination.

Chairman of Yola North Local Government Area, Ibrahim Jibrin Jimeta, represented by Vice Chairperson Sairah Nathan, appealed to residents to support the exercise, emphasizing the importance of immunisation in ensuring healthy child development.

UNICEF Health Officer, Bauchi Field Office, Oluseyi Olosunde, described the partnership with the state government as productive, reaffirming the organisation’s commitment to the campaign.

He urged health workers to ensure no child is missed, warning that even a single case of polio poses a threat to the wider community.

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