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Parents and caregivers in Kwara State have been advised to make their children available for the polio immunisation campaign, begining on Sunday.
The Social Mobilisation Officer of the Kwara State Primary Healthcare Development Agency, Dr Dupe Shittu, who gave the advice at a media stakeholders’ meeting in Ilorin, gave assurance that the vaccine is safe, effective and essential for protecting children against paralysis.
Dr Shittu explained that the immunisation campaign which would commence on Sunday, will run through Wednesday, with additional days two to three days set aside for mop-up activities to ensure that no eligible child is missed.
She said the campaign was necessitated by confirmed cases of circulating variant poliovirus type 2 recorded in the State between December 2025 and January 2026, particularly in Kaiama Local Government Area.
According to her, the exercise targets children aged zero to under five and will be carried out through house-to-house vaccination, fixed posts and temporary sites such as markets and religious centres.
Dr Shittu identified high-risk local government areas due to insecurity, to include Kaiama, Moro, Ifelodun, Ilorin East and Ilorin West, stressing that intensified efforts would be focused in those areas to halt transmission.
Also speaking, a UNICEF consultant, Dr Usman Danlami, said Kwara accounted for a significant proportion of polio isolates recorded in 2025, underscoring the urgency of the campaign.
Dr Danlami called on all stakeholders, including community leaders, the media and caregivers, to support the exercise, and emphasising that while polio has no cure, it can be effectively prevented through timely vaccination.
Last year, over one million children were immunised across the State.
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