The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) has immunised 2, 282, 374 children against polio and other related diseases in Niger between January and June.
UNICEF Health Specialist Amina Baloni said that the figure amounted to 88 per cent coverage across the 25 local governments. She said the organisation used the monthly cumulative polio campaign data to arrive at the total coverage of children in the state.
Baloni stated that the exercise was carried out in collaboration with the Ministry of Health in 212 health camps and 53 health care centres in each of the four rounds during the year. She said that 16,133 children were vaccinated using 71 health kits in every campaign with non-compliance from parents.
She said that through increased outreach effort in 550 villages, 68,565 children were vaccinated.
“To improve immunity among susceptible children, Trivialent oral polio vaccine and Bivalent oral polio vaccine exercise was carried out across the 25 local government areas. Sixty private facilities were trained on routine immunisation services which resulted in an increase in routine immunisation coverage,” she said.
“Through an increased outreach campaign, 68, 565 children were reached out for Oral Polio Vaccine (OPV), pent3 and vitamin A as well as Ante natal care. The number of non-compliance reported cases dropped from 329 to 197 in May because stakeholders such as traditional leaders, religious and focal persons were used to promote integrated health services.
“The number of reported missed children dropped from 22,176 February to 21,294 in May, 2016. We were also able to traced 9,732 pregnant women and referred them for antenatal services while 13, 296 under one children were tracked and referred for routine immunisation services,” she stated.
Baloni also said that after the routine immunisation the cumulative pent3 coverage increased from the initial 119 per cent recorded in June 2015 to 124 per cent in June 2016.
She added that the state had remained a polio free state till date, adding that the last polio case was isolated in March 2013. (NAN)
