Zaharaddeen Ishaq Abubakar | Katsina Times
The Katsina State Government is set to vaccinate 2,688,730 children aged between zero and 59 months against polio during its November 2026 immunisation campaign.
The campaign, organised through the Katsina State Primary Health Care Agency in collaboration with development partners, will cover 28 of the state's 34 local government areas.
According to a briefing note issued by the agency during a mass mobilisation dialogue with journalists, social media influencers, National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) members and U-Reporters, the exercise will cover 299 wards across the implementing local government areas.
The six local government areas excluded from the campaign are Bindawa, Dutsi, Kankia, Kusada, Safana and Sandamu.
The agency said the vaccination exercise would deploy different strategies, including house-to-house visits, transit and special teams, fixed vaccination posts and temporary fixed posts, to ensure eligible children are reached.
The vaccines to be administered include the novel Oral Polio Vaccine Type 2 (nOPV2), Bivalent Oral Polio Vaccine (bOPV) and fractional Inactivated Polio Vaccine (fIPV), in accordance with approved guidelines and eligibility requirements.
The operational schedule provides for two days of DOPV activities, four days of house-to-house vaccination and two additional days of mop-up exercises to reach children missed during the main campaign.
The exercise will also incorporate other essential healthcare interventions through the Maternal, Newborn and Child Health (MNCH) Week and the SARMAAN II Project, with the aim of improving access to preventive health services for children and pregnant women.
Speaking on the role of the media and other stakeholders, the agency urged journalists, social media influencers, NYSC members and U-Reporters to intensify public awareness and encourage parents and caregivers to present their children for vaccination.
It called on media practitioners to provide accurate and timely information, counter rumours and misinformation with verified facts, and communicate community concerns to relevant health authorities.
The agency also emphasised that children who had received polio vaccines during previous campaigns must still be presented for vaccination, in line with the campaign's guidelines.
It expressed confidence that collaboration among health authorities, development partners, media organisations and community stakeholders would help ensure that no eligible child is missed.
The agency reiterated its commitment to strengthening immunisation coverage and sustaining efforts towards the eradication of polio in Katsina State.
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