Kwara State, the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), and 20 other states are set to repeat the polio component of the nationwide Integrated Measles-Rubella vaccination campaign conducted in October 2025.
The repeat exercise—currently on hold—will be carried out by the Kwara State Primary Health Care Development Agency (KWSPHCDA) in collaboration with UNICEF, the World Health Organisation (WHO) and other partners, at a later date yet to be announced. The campaign targets children under the age of five.
During a media dialogue on the November SNIPDs, the Maternal, Newborn and Child Health Week (MNCHW), and the HPV intensification campaign, the WHO Coordinator for Kwara State, Dr. Eyitayo Emmanuel, said the decision came after “identified gaps” were observed in the earlier implementation across several states.
Speaking through Dr. Gwomson Dauda, Emmanuel explained that field reports indicated that some schools declined vaccination because they claimed they did not receive prior notification.
“Some military and federal schools declined receiving vaccines despite receiving letters,” he added.
Access challenges also affected the campaign, with some vaccination teams unable to enter certain residential estates. The combination of these factors necessitated a repeat of the polio component of the Integrated Measles-Rubella drive.
Emmanuel urged the public to dismiss myths surrounding polio and vaccinations, stressing that the disease remains real and dangerous.
“Some of the elderly people you see today who have difficulty walking were affected by polio. We even have one of our staff who was affected by polio and is now working with WHO. Polio is real,” he said.
He commended the Kwara State Government for paying its counterpart funding, which he said contributed significantly to the state’s success.
According to him, over one million children were successfully immunised in Kwara during the previous campaign.
“Kwara is one of the states that always stands out when it comes to implementation because the government always fulfills its obligations,” Emmanuel said.
