BY VINCENT UJUMADU

*Nigeria will have to reach every last child to be able to stop the transmission of the wild polio virus. Photo: Courtesy UNICEF.

AWKA- ANAMBRA State has been polio free for the past eight years, but the state government and its agencies are not relenting to ensure that the disease did not return. As part of the sustenance effort, the state has religiously observed the immunization programmes and recording impressive participation by the various segments of the society.

Recently in Awka, the state government assembled stakeholders of the Anambra State Primary Health Care Development Agency from all the local government areas of the state and other stakeholders responsible managing the European Union Support to Immunization Governance in Nigeria, EU-SIGN, to brief them on ways of sustaining the progress recorded in the battle against polio.

The state director of Primary Health Care, Dr. Chinonye Okafor said there is need for proper orientation of the communities on issues concerning polio, rather than wait for the disease to occur before commencing treatment. Speaking on the expected role of the communities on immunization, Okafor said they are expected to be part of the planning of immunization programmes.

He said: “Community representatives in the village health committees and ward health committees should always be invited to be part of the planning. Similarly, sensitization and mobilization activities should be part of the contribution of the leadership of each community through their traditional rulers, town union executive, church leaders, and town announcers.

“The community leaders are also expected to report any observed lapses in the immunization activities and report adverse events following immunization to ensure prompt response by health workers. They can also donate refrigerators and data tools and provide labour for the evacuation of wastes and if need be, provide occasional feeding allowances for the immunization teams.

“Community leaders need to be carried along in the immunization activities and should properly be educated on their expected roles and responsibilities.” According to Okafor, the active involvement of communities should be of necessity because immunization coverage was still low, health services were largely curative rather than being preventive and there is lack of transparency in the provision of services resulting in lots of wastages.