By Lawal A. Dogara, Kaduna
A Non Governmental Organization Journalists Initiatives on immunization Against Polio JAP, in collaboration with Kaduna State Ministry Of Health and development partners have broken more than a decade jinx of Polio vaccines rejection in Ungwar Tafarki, Kudan local government area of Kaduna state.
This is contained in a release issued by the JAP after participating in strategic deliberations with members of the community during the July Nationwide polio campaign program. It said that the whole community had hitherto consistently rejected the polio vaccines despite several interventions by government and other stakeholders.
The statement stressed that an elder statesman in the area MallamYusuf Nadabo Bello and other people,this time around, submitted their children and grandchildren to be vaccinated in the community.
There release indicated that reasons for the rejection of the polio vaccines were mainly ignorance and claims that the late grandfathers of some of the families cast some sort of spell on anyone who allowed their grandchildren to be vaccinated.
It further said that the recent success was achieved after a heated debate and negotiations coupled with sensitizations by different major stakeholders including the state Commissioner For Health, Dr. Paul Dogo, Local Government officials led by the Sole Administrator Alhaji Shehu Mohammad,WHO, UNICEF office Kaduna, JAP, JNI and CAN officials.
According to the statement, two months ago the state government team led by the Deputy Governor was in the same community to address the Polio vaccines Non compliance in one of the households. It added that the state government had also promised to address some infrastructural challenges in the area.
