UNICEF raises alarm over polio variant in Kano LGs

The United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) has raised concern over the detection of a variant of the polio virus in four local governments in Kano State.

Mr Rahama Mohammed, Chief of the UNICEF Field Office in Kano, disclosed this on Thursday during the June Edition of the Media Dialogue on Polio and Routine Immunisation.

He said surveillance conducted in 2025 revealed the presence of the virus in Warawa, Bunkure, Kano Municipal, and Nasarawa local governments.

'This is unacceptable and must be halted. Polio remains a highly infectious disease that spreads rapidly and knows no borders,' he said.

Mohammed said a single case of polio anywhere poses a threat to children everywhere and called for coordinated efforts to contain the outbreak.

He urged governments at all levels, traditional rulers, and the media to intensify awareness campaigns and ensure full vaccination coverage, particularly in high-risk areas.

Mohammed reiterated UNICEF's commitment to support Nigeria's polio eradication efforts and called for the timely release of counterpart funding and stronger supervision of immunisation campaigns.

Earlier, the Director-General of the Kano State Primary Health Care Management Board, Dr Nasiru Mahmud, reaffirmed the state government's commitment to eradicate polio by December 2025.

He said the state government had set a target to vaccinate 3.9 million children under the age of five during the June 2025 Outbreak Response (OBR) campaign.

He said that the vaccination drive became necessary due to the recent resurgence of the type 2 poliovirus in parts of the state.

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