Kogi State National Programme on Immunization (NPI) has recorded 81 per cent coverage level in Routine Immunization (RI).
The State Manager of NPI, Mallam Shaibu Amedu disclosed this during a health forum in Lokoja, the state capital.
Malam Amedu attributed the success recorded during the last year’s six rounds of the Immunization Plus Days (IPDS) to the high level of commitment of the state government and health personnel on the field.
He noted that kogi State Government has been a motivating factor, especially in the payment of allowances and provision of materials and functional vehicles during every implementation of the programme.
The NPI manager pointed out that the ministry and the unit have been collaborating in community mobilization which gives traditional rulers in the state more impetus to ensure the success of polio-eradication programme.
The engagement of traditional rulers according to him, has been yielding fruitful results as they have been rising to the challenges of rejection and non-compliance in their respective domains.
Mallam Amedu further disclosed that the Social Mobilization Committee in the State has been mobilized to enhance their advocacy visits to ministries and parastatals, community leaders and stakeholders of the programme.
On the discovery of the six Wild Polio Virus (WPV) in some local government areas in the state, the NPI manager blamed this on parents who fail to make their children available during immunization and non-commitment of some local government chairmen.
The local council areas affected according to Mallam Shaibu, are Ankpa, Igalamela/Odolu, Lokoja and Dekina.
Dekina tops the list with Wild Polio Virus, while the other three council areas had one each.