By Sani Idris Abdulrahman

As the polio immunisation campaign kicks off on March 29, 2026, Kaduna State has announced plans to vaccinate no fewer than 2.5 million children.

At a media dialogue with journalists and social media influencers on Saturday in Kaduna, Isa Yushau, Health Education Officer at the Kaduna State Primary Healthcare Board, revealed that the campaign would run for four days across the state’s 23 local government areas.

Yushau explained that the vaccination initiative will target children aged 0 to 59 months in over 28,000 settlements throughout Kaduna State.

He emphasised that the goal of the campaign is to vaccinate at least 2.5 million children, with the overarching objective of eradicating polio and making the state polio-free.

“Even in areas we feel have security threats, we have adopted measures to ensure that no child is left behind,” he said, adding that there are adequate vaccines, personnel, and logistics to reach every cranny of the state.

He explained that the campaign is part of a broader national effort involving 14 states, including Kaduna, Kano, Katsina, Niger, Yobe, Adamawa, Bauchi, Gombe, Jigawa, Kwara, and Nasarawa, where enumeration exercises are ongoing to generate accurate data for planning and intervention.

“The enumeration process captured households, women of reproductive age, pregnant women, and children under five to strengthen data-driven decision-making in healthcare delivery,” he said.

He noted that initial records showed over 7,000 cases of refusal, which were later reduced to about 1,000 following intensified community engagement and awareness campaigns.

“More than 70 to 80 per cent of refusals have been resolved, but our goal is to ensure that no child is left unvaccinated,” he said.

He added that new strategies and innovations have been introduced, including enhanced community sensitisation and media engagement, to improve acceptance and reach children in hard-to-access areas.

Yushau urged parents and caregivers to present their children for vaccination, stressing that the benefits of immunisation far outweigh the risks of non-compliance, particularly in the fight against poliomyelitis.

The campaign will run from March 29 to April 3, with health officials expressing optimism that improved strategies will further reduce missed children and boost immunity levels across the state.