By CHARLES IWUOHA

The World Health Organisation (WHO) has rated Enugu State high for its overwhelming satisfactory polio immunisation campaign just-concluded in the state.

The high rating and commendation was contained in a preliminary WHO Lot Quality Assurance Sampling (LQAS) Survey on the polio immunization campaign carried out in Uzo-Uwani Local Government Area (LGA) in August, 2020; released in Enugu on Sunday.

News Express reports that the State Government through Enugu State Primary Health Care Development Agency (ENS-PHCDA) and health partners embarked on an Oral Polio Vaccination (OPV) and Fractional Inactivated Polio Vaccine (FIPV) immunisation campaign to sustain the state’s polio-free status.

The exercise was targeted at vaccinating 35,775 children from three months to five years within the 16 wards in Uzo-Uwani council area between Aug. 22 and Aug. 27.

The survey said it was observed that; “Uzo-Uwani LGA polio immunisation was accepted as with LQAS coverage of 90% (more than 90 per cent).

“The six selected settlements in the council area used for the survey had 100% (100 per cent) coverage; and had no missed children for both FIPV and OPV.

“Although, all sampled children were finger marked, more than a third had no Routine Immunization Card and a quarter had no FIPV Card.

“All the 60 children seen in the six settlements in the council area were vaccinated in the last IPDs. All 60 caregivers of the sampled children were aware of the campaign as well,’’ it said.

The survey, however, suggested that there should be continued data driven Evening Review Meetings (using call-in data template and ODK based supervision data) in future campaigns.

It stressed the need to sustain the current rate of social mobilisation for all immunisation especially Immunisation Plus Days (IPDs) in the state.

“Strengthen card retention during future teams trainings and social mobilization activities as well as conduct post implementation review of the FIPV campaign at state and LGA levels,” the survey said.

Reacting to the positive result, Executive Secretary of ENS-PHCDA, Dr George Ugwu, said that the independent positive assessment of the just-concluded immunization shows renewed zeal of the state government and its partners to use immunisation to reduce disease burden of the state.

“I sincerely thank our children-friendly Governor, Chief Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi, for the tremendous support to ENS-PHCDA and its programmes especially immunization as well as our partners the National Primary Health Care Development Agency, WHO, UNICEF, Rotary International among others.

“The Agency will fully sustain areas we have done exceptionally well in the just-concluded polio immunisation; and we will put more efforts and resources to do better in areas we needed improvement,” he added.

It would be recalled that the immunisation exceeded its projected target of 35,775 children to cover 37,852 children at the end of the exercise after an extension for two additional days.

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