Awka – The Anambra State Primary Health Care Development Agency (ASPHCDA) has issued a strong appeal to parents and guardians to ensure their children are immunized against the Circulating Variant Polio Virus Type 2 (CVPV2), warning that failure to do so could put young lives at serious risk.
The agency, in collaboration with the State Ministry of Health and its health partners, announced the commencement of the first round of the National Immunization Plus Days (NIPDs) campaign. The immunization exercise is scheduled to take place from Saturday, May 3 to Tuesday, May 6, 2025, targeting all children aged 0 to 59 months across the 21 local government areas of the state.
Speaking at a stakeholders’ meeting held at the ASPHCDA headquarters in Awka, the Executive Secretary of the agency, Pharmacist Chisom Uchem—represented by Dr. Ngozi Okeke, Director of Community Health Services—stated that the vaccination campaign would be conducted in fixed and temporary posts, through house-to-house visits, and at key locations such as churches, mosques, schools, markets, motor parks, and village squares.
Dr. Okeke urged parents to take the campaign seriously and ensure no child is left out, emphasizing that early immunization is the most effective way to protect children from the life-threatening virus.
Key health stakeholders, including Dr. Mohammed Bonos (State Coordinator, World Health Organization), Mrs. Uju Onwuegbuzina (State Health Educator), and Dr. Uju Eze (UNICEF Behaviour Change Facilitator), stressed that this national exercise represents Nigeria’s final opportunity to eliminate polio transmission. They called on religious bodies, civil society groups, and community leaders to support the effort and guarantee that all eligible children receive the Oral Polio Vaccine (OPV), regardless of past immunization status.
