The Bauchi State Government says it has intensified efforts on surveillance system to tackle type 2 Polio virus which has been found in the state.
Dr. Zuwaira Hassan, the State Commissioner for Health, who disclosed this to journalists in Bauchi on Saturday, stated that the state government has embarked on active surveillance system to rid the state of the polio virus.
According to her, government will embark on an intensive campaign and awareness programme across the state in order to get rid of the type 2 Polio virus found in the state metropolis.
Hassan disclosed that the type 2 Polio virus was first discovered in Jigawa, Yobe, Katsina States in the north and Niger Republic noting however that the virus was only discovered on ponds, drainages and refuse in the communities and not on a human beings.
She said that the state government was committed to eradicating polio in the state, “with the Basket fund MOU between Bill and Millinda Gate, Aliko Dangote and the state government on polio and immunization.”
She spoke further, “I am confident that we have done well in trying to eradicate polio. Therefore there is need to improve access to information to health workers who are stationed at different health facilities. This would help the state government know the rate of frequency of a particular disease in a community and prevent its spread.”
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The commissioner said the surveillance system would be conducted across the 20 local government areas of the state even as she restated the commitment of government to continue organising supplementary and routine immunisation days in all health facilities and outreach centres in the state.
She admonished the secondary and tertiary healthcare providers to be innovative in making sure that diseases are promptly reported to bridge the gap and urged families to continue to immunise their children and prevent a resurgence of the disease.
Circulating Vaccine-Derived Polio Virus Type 2 (cVDPV2) was discovered at Gwallaga mosque area linking three wards of Makama B, Hardo and Dankade areas of Bauchi Local Government Area through samples collected from various locations on a monthly basis.
