Nearly 2.3 million children in Nigeria have not received routine immunization (zero dose), putting them at risk of polio outbreak.
Dr Nuzhat Rafique, United Nations Children’s Fund, Chief of Bauchi Field Office disclosed this during an awareness road walk in Bauchi on Thursday to commemorate this year’s World Polio Day.
“Out of 2.3 million children in Nigeria, about 22,000 children in Bauchi State have not received routine immunization thereby risking a polio outbreak.
“It is heartwarming to note that Bauchi has been free of wild polio virus since the last case in 2013; however, we are still contending with the variant form of the virus,’’ She said.
Rafique, noted that physical disabilities caused by polio could be banished from the world if the stakeholders continued to put all hands on deck to stop the outbreaks.
