NAN-H-54
Polio
By Bukola Adewunmi
Abuja, Oct. 24, 2017 (NAN) Mr Musa Dikko, the Chairman, Bwari Area Council on Tuesday called for more sensitisation and education of schools’ authorities and parents on polio immunization.
Dikko made the call in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Abuja.
The chairman also appealed to religious organisations, and other organisations to mobilise the people to ensure that children between ages zero to five years were immunised.
According to him, the immunization of children will prevent them from having polio as well as prevent further by those who already have it.
He also advised that cases of polio be reported early enough so that treatment would be administered to prevent further spread.
“There is no need to wait until the incident of polio is discovered before it will be reported. Parents should report any such cases early enough.’’
Dikko said that doing this would help eradicate polio in the community and the nation at large.
“Polio is a communicable disease and it will be terrible if children who have it transfer it to those who do not have.
“We want to make sure that only those children within the range of ages one to five are vaccinated.
“We want to make sure that they are vaccinated properly, I tell you, polio is more deadly than AIDS.
“And we cannot afford to see this communicable disease go round our country, go round our society when we can prevent it. That is why we are vaccinating to prevent polio disease.’’
Dikko said that th area council was presently carrying out sensitisation programme in the community to let people know how the disease could be communicated as well as how to prevent it.
“So right now, by the grace of God we have no polio case at all within the FCT, and we are working to ensure that there is no case.
“So I want to reassure parents that government programmes are for the development and progress of the people.
“It is an act of preventing these diseases and not an act of humiliating individuals, so parents should be rest assured of government programmes’’. (NAN)
BOL/BOLA/EEE
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Edited by Bola Akingbehin/Ese E. Ekama