The Katsina State Government, in collaboration with UNICEF, has renewed its commitment to eradicating preventable childhood diseases by ensuring that no child is left behind and no life is lost to illnesses such as polio.
The State First Lady, Zulaihat Dikko-Radda, made this known during the commemoration of the 2025 World Polio Day held on Friday in Katsina.
She urged mothers and caregivers to take their children to health centres for vaccination, describing immunisation as an investment in their children’s future.
“Let’s renew our promise that no child will be left behind, no life will be lost to preventable diseases, and that the dream of a polio-free world will become a reality,” she said.
Mrs. Dikko-Radda noted that the major challenge in eradicating polio was not the lack of vaccines or health workers, but vaccine resistance caused by misinformation and fear.
“A new challenge before us is the circulating Variant Polio Virus type 2 (cVPV2). It is silent but dangerous,” she cautioned.
She emphasised that the vaccines had been carefully formulated, were safe, and remained the most powerful tool against diseases like polio.
In her remarks, Mr. Rahama Mohammed-Farah, UNICEF Chief of Field Office, Kano, reaffirmed that polio eradication was achievable through sustained collaboration and community participation.
Represented by Ms. Fatima Adamu, UNICEF Child Protection Specialist, Mohammed-Farah commended Katsina State for its progress, noting that the number of reported cases had dropped significantly — from 17 cases across eight local government areas in 2024 to just two in Danmusa LGA in 2025.
“The fight is not yet over. Polio has no cure but it is preventable. With safe vaccines, no child should suffer from a disease that can be avoided,” she said.
She stressed that immunisation campaigns must reach every child, adding that vaccines remain the strongest weapon against paralysis and death.
“Children deserve a polio-free future. We can make it the second human disease ever eradicated and protect generations to come. We’ve come too far to turn back — let’s finish the job and make polio history,” she added.
Mohammed-Farah also urged the wives of local government chairmen to intensify sensitisation campaigns among mothers and caregivers on the importance of vaccinating eligible children.
