The Bauchi State Primary Health Care Development Agency (BASPHCDA), on Saturday, revealed that a total of 38 confirmed cases of circulating Mutant Polio Virus Type 2 (Cmpv2) were recorded in 12 local government areas of the state.
The revelation was made by the Executive Chairman of the Agency, Dr Rilwanu Mohammed while flagging off vaccination against the virus held at the Primary Health Centre, Bayan Fada in Bauchi metropolis.
According to Dr Mohammed, out of the confirmed cases, 19 were from AFP, 13 were from contact cases and six were from the environmental samples.
He named the affected LGAs to include, Toro; Warji; Darazo; Misau; Dambam; Zaki; Jamaare; Alkaleri; Ganjuwa; Bauchi; Katagum and Shira.
The chairman informed that the Agency was 100% prepared for the exercise, adding that the BSPHCDA had received support from all relevant international donor agencies having received feedback to STFI/ICC of the outcome of the September 2021 round which was conducted.
He added that the state had received a total of 2,367,450 vaccines (nopv2) for the exercise, targeting children under 5 years with a total of 2,286,057.
The exercise, according to him, would be conducted in all the 323 wards, 172,437 settlements across the state, while a total number of 4,023 house-to-house teams were engaged for the exercise as well as a total of 12,809 special teams 646 fixed teams.
He further explained that the total number of DOPV teams was 756, adding that the vaccination exercise would be conducted between 11th – 15th January 2022.
Mohammed informed that apart from conducting the STFI/ICC in September 2021, the Agency also conducted the state level training of State Technical Facilitators (STFs); advocacy visits to political, religious and traditional leadership and ward level training of house-to-house teams.
He further said that there were five special teams for LGAs, TFI and social mobilisation committee meeting was conducted at various LGAs to review the last round, examine successes, challenges and provide action points.
He added that inter/intra-state border synchronisation meetings were held among Bauchi-Jigawa-Kano, Yobe-Bauchi-Gombe-Bauchi.
The BSPHCDA boss further disclosed that logistics for the exercise had been paid for by the World Health Organisation (WHO) and UNICEF for the implementation of the DOPV strategy in all high-risk LGAs in the state.
While the National Primary Healthcare Development Agency (NPHCDA) assured that there is the need to focus attention on the fight against the resurgence of poliovirus particularly in the North with a view to curtailing it before it becomes epidemic, other international donors and support agencies assured of a collaborative effort to quickly stop the virus from spreading not only in Bauchi State but also across the country.
