Polio: Rotary monitors immunization in Abuja, decries resistance
@SimonEchewofun The Rotary E-club of Nigeria, District 9125 said it monitored the polio immunization exercise carried out in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) last weekend.
Briefing newsmen at Damagazu community near Apo during the exercise, the President, Rotarian Temitayo Akpan decried the pockets of resistance from parents in the community describing it as unappealing.
She said: “I am heartbroken; the resistance from the people in this community is unappealing. We need to do more advocacies in this community to see more people key into the immunization process.”
Temitayo said there were similar house-to-house exercises in Kubwa, Dutse and Garki Village among other places in the FCT where parents and guardians accepted the immunization teams and offered to learn.
The village head of Damagaza, Abdulhamidu Ibrahim lauded government’s effort at sustaining the exercise. He said the community was side-lined in many activities but they are now happy that the community is being considered by the present administration.
He urged residents to allow their children be immunised as it provides a strong barrier against the wild polio virus.
Supervisor of Team 086 of the FCT Immunisation Project, Jerry Armstrong at the community said 109 children were immunised the first day and that many persons who resisted the immunisation of their wards were those coming from rural areas in other states who may not have been well informed about the exercise.
“Some complained of having taken too many rounds and so they reject having their children vaccinated,” he said.
Some houses where children were absent due to school activities or other issues were marked for a revisit, the team said.