The Kwara State government in partnership with the United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund (UNICEF) is targeting about 1.2 million children for the 2026 mass vaccination campaign on poliomyelitis across the state.
Speaking at a sensitization meeting on Polio virus outbreak response campaign for media practitioners, jointly organised by the UNICEF and the Kwara State Primary Healthcare Development Agency in Ilorin, the Polio Immunization Social Mobilization officer, Dr. Modupe Shittu, decried ignorance and resistance among some parents, who she said refused to present their children for immunisation.
The health practitioner, who warned that erring parents and guardians would be sanctioned if such resistance persists, urged parents to immunize their children against polio, stressing that the virus has no cure but preventable through vaccination.
She said that the state government has intensified campaign across rural communities for mass vaccination of children zero to 59 months old.
It is recalled that the state recorded two confirmed cases of Circulating Variant of Polio Virus 2 (CvPv 2) in December 2025, in Kaiama Local Government, and another case in January, 2026, also in Kaiama.
She emphasised that children aged 0- 59 months must not be deprived of vaccination which protects them against paralysis. She also call for wide media coverage to ensure grassroots awareness.
In his remark, UNICEF Consultant, Dr. Usman Danlami, tasked media practitioners to amplify the campaign and counter misinformation about Polio Imunization. He described Polio as a threat to life and advocated community engagement to sensitize the populace.
He assured parents that multiple doses of the vaccine are safe and unharmful to children.
Dr. Danlami identified Kaiama and Moro Local Government Areas as the worst hit by the virus in Kwara State, pledging that UNICEF and its partners would intensify efforts to contain transmission.
Meanwhile, the polio awareness campaign and vaccination exercise in Kwara State is scheduled to hold between Sunday and Wednesday next week across all 16 local government areas.
