The Edo State Primary Health Care Development has appealed to parents, guardians and caregivers to allow vaccinators to immunise their children with polio vaccines.
Mrs Irene Uabor, State Health Education Officer of the agency made the appeal during an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Thursday in Benin.
Uabor said that the National Immunization Plus Days was one of the strategies designed to eradicate polio and other vaccine preventable diseases.
She defined Poliomyelitis as a highly infectious disease caused by a wild polio virus and transmitted through food and water contaminated with the faeces of an infected person.
“The disease causes severe weakness of the limbs and it is responsible for majority of the physical deformities commonly seen in our society.
“One in 200 cases will usually result in irreversible paralysis.
“Polio can be prevented. The best protection against polio disease is through vaccination with the polio vaccine,” Uabor said.
According to her, Edo State has been polio-free since March 2009.
Uabor said this feat was largely due to the commitment of the government and its enormous support for immunisation activities.
She says that vaccinators go from house to house to administer drops of oral polio vaccine presently.
“They also visit churches, mosques, schools, markets, motor parks, and other busy places.
“Parents, please allow the vaccinators to vaccines your children”, she pleads. (NAN)
