In the quiet courtyard of the palace of the District Head of Kware in Sokoto State, a small child sits calmly on his mother’s lap as a health worker gently administers two drops of vaccine into his mouth. For the mother, like thousands of others across the state, the moment represents more than a routine health exercise it is a promise of protection and hope for her child’s future.
Scenes like this played out as the Sokoto State Government launched a four-day statewide polio vaccination campaign aimed at protecting children from the devastating effects of the disease. The campaign, which runs from March 7 to March 10, is targeting about 1.2 million children under the age of five.
For many parents, the campaign brings reassurance that their children will be safe from a disease that once caused widespread paralysis among young children.
Health workers, volunteers and community mobilisers have fanned out across towns and villages, moving from house to house to ensure that no child is missed. Armed with vaccine carriers and record sheets, they walk through narrow streets, knock on doors and patiently explain the importance of the vaccine to parents.
Some of them travel long distances to reach communities that are often difficult to access. Others station themselves at hospitals, markets and transit points to vaccinate children who might otherwise be overlooked.
Behind the scenes, thousands of health personnel have been mobilised across Sokoto’s 23 local government areas and 244 wards. More than 2,800 house-to-house vaccination teams are visiting homes across the state, while special teams are covering hard-to-reach communities and busy transit locations.
The campaign is also using a strengthened vaccination strategy that combines the Novel Oral Polio Vaccine type 2 with the traditional Oral Polio Vaccine, providing broader protection against multiple strains of the virus.
At the official flag-off ceremony in Kware, state officials and health authorities stressed that the exercise is crucial in stopping the transmission of the circulating variant poliovirus type 2.
Governor Ahmed Aliyu, represented by the Secretary to the State Government, Muhammad Bello Sifawa, said the campaign reflects the state’s commitment to ensuring that no child suffers paralysis from a disease that can be prevented.
Community leaders and traditional rulers are also playing a key role by encouraging parents to cooperate with vaccination teams. Their voices often carry significant influence in rural communities where trust and local leadership are vital to the success of public health programmes.
For health workers on the frontline, the mission is clear — reach every household and ensure that every eligible child receives the life-saving drops.
Development partners including the National Primary Health Care Development Agency, the World Health Organisation and the United Nations Children’s Fund continue to support the effort, working closely with the state government and local institutions.
As vaccination teams move from one community to another, each child immunised brings Sokoto State a step closer to a future where no family has to worry about the threat of polio.
For the mothers holding their children during the vaccination, the hope is simple but powerful: that those two tiny drops today will protect their children for a lifetime.
