KATSINA—At dawn in many Katsina neighbourhoods, the familiar knock of health workers has become a welcome sound. With vaccine carriers slung over their shoulders and registers in hand, immunisation teams are moving from house to house, signalling the strong grassroots momentum behind the state’s ongoing polio vaccination campaign.
Now in its final stretch, the three-day exercise spans all 34 local government areas and is expected to reach over 2.8 million children under the age of five. Health authorities say the turnout so far reflects a growing shift in public attitude—from hesitation to active participation.
Unlike earlier campaigns focused solely on polio, this round delivers a broader health impact. Alongside polio drops, children are receiving routine immunisation, azithromycin, vitamin A supplements and deworming tablets, while pregnant women benefit from nutritional support, turning the exercise into a community-wide health intervention.
Explaining the strategy, Shamsudeen Yahaya, Executive Secretary of the Katsina State Primary Healthcare Agency, represented by Mukhtar Mahmud, said the campaign was built around accessibility.
“We deliberately took services to the people,” Mahmud said at a media dialogue. “Door-to-door visits, fixed centres and mobile teams ensure that even children in hard-to-reach settlements are not excluded.”
According to him, weeks of planning went into training vaccinators, engaging traditional and religious leaders, and mobilising communities before the first vaccine was administered. That preparation is already paying off.
Field reports show a sharp drop in vaccine refusal. In Zango Local Government Area, only two households declined immunisation, down from seven recorded during the previous round.
“This tells us that misinformation is losing ground,” Mahmud said. “With sustained awareness and the backing of partners like UNICEF, our focus is now on identifying and reaching zero-dose children across the state.”
For many families, the campaign has become a reassurance rather than a debate. Maimunatu Sani Awualu, a mother of one in Zango, said regular visits by health workers have strengthened her confidence in immunisation.
“When you see these workers come again and again, you know they care about our children,” she said. “I make sure my child takes every vaccine because polio can destroy a child’s future.”
Another parent, Fayiza Abdullahi, said experience has taught her to trust vaccines over rumours.
“I grew up hearing many stories,” she recalled. “But my parents immunised us, and today we are healthy. I have done the same for my six children.”
The campaign is being implemented through a joint effort involving the Katsina State Government, the National Primary Healthcare Development Agency (NPHCDA), UNICEF, and the World Health Organisation (WHO), ensuring smooth logistics, vaccine availability and real-time monitoring across all LGAs.
As vaccinators make their final rounds, health officials say the growing acceptance seen in homes and communities offers hope that Katsina is steadily closing the gaps—one doorstep at a time—in its drive toward a polio-free future.
