Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf has warned parents against refusing polio vaccination for their children, vowing firm action anyone obstructing the ongoing immunisation campaign.

The governor, represented by his deputy, Comrade Abdulsalam Gwarzo, issued the warning on Monday at the flag-off of the first round of the 2025 polio vaccination exercise held in Warawa Local Government Area.

The campaign follows the recent detection of three new polio cases in Warawa, Bunkure, and Nassarawa LGAs, prompting urgent efforts to contain the virus. Governor Yusuf revealed that investigations showed some families were refusing to present their children for immunisation, thereby endangering lives and risking a wider outbreak.

“There is no religious justification for rejecting vaccines,” Yusuf said, citing Islamic countries such as Saudi Arabia, Pakistan, Iran, and Indonesia that have successfully embraced vaccination and eliminated polio.

“This is not about religion—it’s about the love and care you have for your child,” he added.

The governor urged parents across the state to cooperate fully to ensure their children are immunised before the campaign’s deadline in December, stressing the government’s commitment to strengthening healthcare and protecting public health.

Speaking at the event, the Commissioner for Health, Dr. Labaran Yusuf, highlighted the challenge posed by the influx of immigrants into the state. He assured that mechanisms are in place to ensure that all children, whether born in Kano or recently arrived, are vaccinated and documented.

Also addressing the gathering, the Chief of UNICEF’s Kano Field Office, Mr. Michael Banda, emphasised Kano’s crucial role in the global fight against polio.

“The polio vaccine is safe and effective. It has reduced polio cases by 99.9% since 1988. But the threat remains—just one case can cause a resurgence,” Banda warned.

He reaffirmed UNICEF’s commitment to supporting Kano State in reaching every child and deepening community engagement to ensure the campaign’s success.

The Kano State Government has intensified public awareness campaigns and community outreach as it works with partners to achieve full vaccination coverage and eradicate polio.

Ogun State Government has unveiled a new strategic plan aimed at achieving zero infection and ensuring sustained treatment and care for people living with HIV/AIDS epidemic.

Commissioner for Health, Dr. Tomi Coker, made this known at the opening of a three-day stakeholders’ engagement meeting towards developing the State HIV/AIDS Strategic Plan for 2025-2027 in Abeokuta on Wednesday.

Coker, represented by the Special Adviser to the Governor on Health, Dr. Tayo Lawal, affirmed that the new development would play a significant role in the lives of the people living with HIV.

The Commissioner stated that, “it’s no longer news that donors are drastically withdrawing their support, unlike during the World Bank era when support was at its peak. We’re all witnesses to the current state of HIV response in the country.

“However, the fight against the disease cannot be won by the government alone; a multisectoral response to HIV must be fully activated. Every stakeholder must come together to fight this epidemic.”

In his welcome address, the Executive Secretary of the Ogun State Agency for the Control of AIDS, Dr. Kehinde Fatungase, emphasised the need to develop a technical work plan that would guide the state’s efforts over the next two years, utilising available resources effectively, despite the existence of a National Strategic Plan.

Representatives from the National Agency for the Control of AIDS, APIN Public Health Initiative, and Civil Society on HIV/AIDS in Nigeria, showed commitment towards supporting the planning and implementation of the strategic plan.

About 12,000 Nigerian women are diagnosed with cervical cancer annually, despite the disease being largely preventable, the Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Dr Mohammed Ali Pate, has disclosed.

The Minister made the disclosure during the launch of the cervical cancer vaccine campaign and the Human Papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine integration sensitisation exercise held at Government Girls College, Bauchi.

According to him, “There is the need for greater awareness among stakeholders as part of efforts to eliminate cervical cancer in Bauchi State and across Nigeria.”

With the HPV vaccine, Pate stated that the disease can be prevented if vaccination is administered early to individuals who are susceptible to the virus and at risk of eventually developing cervical cancer.

He assured the commitment of the President to the cause and recalled the official flag-off of the HPV vaccination campaign in October 2023.

The Director-General of the National Institute for Cancer Research and Treatment, Dr Usman Malami, in his remarks, explained that cervical cancer is one of the few cancers with a known cause.

He added that it makes it one of the most preventable forms of cancer, stressing that since they already know what causes it and what can provide lifelong immunity, vaccination becomes a critical tool.