ENSURE THAT EVERY CHILD IS GIVEN FULL IMMUNIZATION COVERAGE – Health Commissioner Charges Abians.

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The Honourable commissioner Abia state ministry of health, Dr. John Ahukannah has told parents, caregivers, community and religious leaders to ensure that every child who is 0-5 years is given full immunization coverage as depicted by the National Programme on Immunization.
He also told Abians to report non compliant parents and caregivers to the health and law enforcement officers for it is the duty of all to ensure that every child is immunized.
The commissioner who said this on Monday during the falg off ceremony of the MARCH 2017 NIPDS at Afugiri in Umuahia North Local Government Area maintained that immunization is free, safe and effective in protection of children against killer diseases.
The Honourable commissioner for health who was ably represented by the permanent Secretary of the ministry, Mr Nkwachukwu Agomuoh maintained that Abia state has been polio free since 2009 after a wild polio virus was isolated and confirmed in a little girl at Omoba ward in Isiala Ngwa south, from a family that had a close proximity to the Omoba health centre but refused to access immunization services for their children.
According to the commissioner, its obvious that a high coverage of Routine Immunization antigens is needful to provide herd immunity to Abia children and this will be reinforced by the implementation of the National Immunization Plus Days (NIPDS) which according to him is carried out using the house-to-house strategy to ensure that every eligible child from 0-59 months is given the 2 drops of Oral polio vaccine irrespective of his or her previous immunization status.
“The only way our children can be polio free is if they are given their full and complete immunization which we give in all health centres in every ward in every LGA in the state. This creates a formidable wall of resistance against the polio virus and indeed all other vaccine preventable diseases ” he said .
Ahukannah said that the global eradication of poliomyelitis is a public health effort to eliminate all cases of polio infection around the world. He said this effort began in 1988 led by world health organization, UNICEF and the rotary foundation .
In his speech, the governor of Abia state,Dr. Okezie Ikpeazu said that polio is a fatal infectious disease which has no effective vaccine to cure it hence, the need to make sure its being prevented and eradicated.
The governor who was represented by his deputy, Rt Hon. Ude Ukochukwu while charging Abians to support the war against polio by ensuring that children gets immunized maintained that no governor will like to lead unhealthy people, hence the present administration sees the wellbeing of the people as the number one priority.
He thanked the donor agencies, the rotary club and mostly the state ministry of health for their giant strides and promise that Abia government will always support the ministry.
The governor ably represented by his deputy, Sir Ude Ukochukwu, the honourable commissioner for health represented by the permanent Secretary, Mr Nkwachukwu Agomuoh, the chairman of ASPIMSS, Mr Kingsley Megwara, the executive chairman of Umuahia north LGA, the traditional prime ministers, religious leaders, directors of various departments of the state ministry of health were all present during the ceremony.