The Katsina State Government says it is targeting about three million children aged 0–59 months during the March 2026 polio vaccination campaign and routine immunisation services against child-killer diseases.
The Executive Secretary of the State Primary Health Care Agency, Dr Shamsuddeen Yahaya, made the disclosure on Monday in Katsina at a mass mobilisation dialogue with journalists, social media youth influencers, and U-Reporters.
He said the campaign would start on March 28 and run until March 31, during which eligible children would be vaccinated across the 34 local government areas of the state.
The executive secretary called on parents, caregivers, and other stakeholders to support the campaign by ensuring that eligible children are immunised against child-killer diseases.
He also said that the government had upgraded over 260 primary health centres, which are now providing healthcare services to residents, including routine immunisation for children.
Mr Umar Ahmed of UNICEF explained that the meeting aimed to help participants understand the polio situation, highlight the urgency of the campaign, combat misinformation, promote demand for vaccination, and support real-time reporting.
He said vaccination teams would visit the 361 wards, covering 19,790 settlements across the state.
Ahmed said 3,671 teams, each comprising a team leader, vaccinator, and community leader, would conduct house-to-house visits to administer the oral polio vaccine to children during the campaign.
According to him, there will also be fixed posts, temporary fixed posts, special teams, and teams stationed at border communities to ensure that all eligible children are vaccinated.
Ahmed noted that misinformation about the oral polio vaccine could create fear, confusion, and doubt, leading people to reject important messages or interventions, even when they are beneficial.
The UNICEF official stressed that the media play a central role in shaping how people understand issues, events, and priorities.
He therefore urged the media to provide clear, factual, and verified information to the public.
