No fewer than 800,000 children lack access to routine immunisation in six northern states, the Executive Director of National Primary Health Care Development Agency, Dr Faisal Shauib, has said.
He named the six northern states as Kaduna, Niger, Zamfara, Kebbi, Katsina, and Sokoto, saying they lack access to or were never reached for any routine immunisation due to banditry and other forms of insecurities.
Speaking at a strategic meeting with traditional leaders of some inaccessible communities in six states on PHC Delivery held in Sokoto, Shuaib said the trend was as a result of bandits activities in the areas.
He said the strategic meeting was a turning point in their approach to reaching children for vaccination against preventable diseases.
He also said that the gesture was the reflection of the commitment of the traditional institution in the North to the provision of effective health service delivery to their communities.
Shuaib explained that inaccessibility was a formidable threat to our efforts to interrupt the transmission of circulating variant poliovirus type 2 (cvpv2) currently spreading in some states of the country
He stated that the inaccessibility to vaccination would derail efforts made so far by making other children vulnerable to polio virus infection.
