Bauchi State has received over 2.5 million doses of the Novel Oral Polio Vaccine (NOPV) ahead of its April immunisation campaign, targeting children aged zero to 59 months.
The State Cold Chain Officer at the Bauchi State Primary Health Care Board, Bappa Mohammed Jika, confirmed the development during an inspection of the vaccine storage facility at the state Cold Store, located within Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University Teaching Hospital (ATBUTH), Bauchi.
Jika assured that the vaccines were being preserved under optimal conditions in readiness for the mass immunisation exercise. He emphasized the state’s commitment to ensuring broad community participation, leveraging traditional and social media platforms, as well as Advocacy, Communication, and Social Mobilisation (ACSM) teams, to encourage parents and guardians to bring their children for vaccination.
In a significant boost to the campaign, Dr. Nuzhat Rafique, Chief of UNICEF’s Bauchi Field Office, disclosed that the initiative would roll out in high-risk areas from April 24, before expanding to other regions from April 26 to 29, 2025.
Dr. Rafique described the campaign as a “make-or-break” moment for Bauchi and Nigeria’s fight against polio, stressing the urgency of achieving complete eradication. She further noted that Bauchi State’s 13 local government areas house approximately 556,000 zero-dose children—those who have never received any form of immunisation.
Mr. Patrick Akor, Health Officer at UNICEF’s Bauchi Field Office, highlighted that alongside the NOPV, the state would administer Routine Immunisation (RI) during the April Inactivated Poliovirus Vaccine (IPV) exercise. He reassured that all 20 Local Government Area (LGA) teams would be sufficiently supplied with vaccines throughout the campaign to ensure its success.
With Bauchi’s government and health partners ramping up efforts to eradicate polio, community engagement remains crucial. The active involvement of civil society organizations (CSOs) will be key in mobilizing local communities to embrace the immunisation drive, ensuring no child is left behind in the battle against polio.
