How synergy between parents, health workers sustains immunization success in Adamawa
As the National Immunization Plus Days (NIPDs) campaign progresses across Adamawa State, strong cooperation between healthcare workers, parents, and caregivers has ensured a smooth, hitch-free exercise, with near-total coverage recorded in many communities.
The campaign, being implemented by the Adamawa State Government with support from UNICEF and other development partners, is receiving widespread acceptance, reflecting growing public trust in routine and supplemental immunization programmes.
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Findings from field visits, interviews with healthcare workers and parents indicate that effective community engagement, sustained awareness campaigns, and improved coordination have played a critical role in the success of the ongoing exercise.
A field visit to Dendu, a sleepy community in Yola South local government portrayed how this synergy translates to a total coverage in the vicinity as a Health officials report high turnout and minimal resistance, a development attributed largely to intensified sensitization efforts across religious, social, and educational platforms.
Speaking during the exercise, Joshua Mataboyo, a healthcare giver actively involved in the campaign, explained that the current round focuses on the Novel Oral Polio Vaccine (nOPV), aimed at protecting children against poliomyelitis.
According to him, the exercise commenced on December 9, 2025, as part of national and sub-national efforts to further reduce the circulation of poliovirus in Nigeria and the wider African region.
Mataboyo stressed that the significance of the exercise cannot be overstated, noting that polio remains a public health concern despite years of progress.
He explained that the nOPV is designed to deplete the number of children vulnerable to poliovirus infection, thereby strengthening population immunity and preventing future outbreaks. He added that the vaccination targets eligible children across households and public spaces to ensure no child is missed.
On challenges encountered during the exercise, Mataboyo noted that they have been minimal and largely related to expectations from some parents who participated in earlier campaigns.
He explained that previous immunization rounds, particularly the DOPV exercise, included incentives such as sweets and food items distributed at markets, streets, and water points to encourage participation. Some parents, he said, have been asking whether similar incentives would be extended to house-to-house vaccinations.
However, he emphasized that these concerns have not translated into resistance, as compliance remains very high.
According to him, there has been virtually 100 percent acceptance of the vaccine so far, a development he attributed to effective information dissemination and community mobilization.
He explained that messages about the exercise were widely circulated through churches, mosques, schools, workplaces, and traditional town criers, ensuring that parents were well informed ahead of the campaign.
Parents interviewed during the exercise also expressed strong support for the immunization campaign, describing it as indispensable to the health and wellbeing of children.
Haruna Bayero, a parent, said immunization has consistently proven its value in keeping children healthy and free from preventable diseases.
According to him, families who prioritize immunization experience fewer cases of childhood illness, reinforcing confidence in the programme.
Bayero urged parents to attach utmost importance to immunization, noting that its potency and efficacy are evident in the improved health outcomes observed among vaccinated children.
He also commended health workers for their dedication, describing them as committed and diligent in ensuring that every eligible child is reached during the exercise.
Another parent, Bitrus Kudi, described immunization as an effective and essential public health intervention, stating that only ignorance could lead to its rejection.
He emphasized that children represent the future of society and must be protected to enable them contribute meaningfully in years to come.
According to him, misinformation and lack of education are major factors behind vaccine hesitancy, but many of the myths surrounding immunization have been repeatedly debunked.
Kudi praised the Adamawa State Government and its partners for intensifying awareness campaigns, noting that consistent education has helped dispel fears and build confidence among parents.
He added that the visible presence of health workers and community mobilizers has further reassured caregivers of the safety and importance of the vaccines.
Dr. Rafique express joy over successes, says thousands of zero dose children reached
Further highlighting the success of the intensive vaccination campaign in the Bauchi field office, Dr. Nuzhat Rafique Chief of Bauchi field office of UNICEF noted that thousands of zero dose children across the field office have been reached further solidifying protection for children in hard to reach and vulnerable communities.
She said it gives her immense joy that 2025 is ending with a powerful conversation around the successes attained by the National Immunization Plus Days (NIPDs) as thousands of children in vulnerable communities have been reached further strengthening them against any unwanted ailment.
She noted that UNICEF’s most versatile strategy to protect the lives of children, keep them healthy and safeguard their feature is through immunization.
She thanked the state governments in the field office, healthcare givers, journalists, community leaders, state healthcare agencies for their resilience and commitment towards the success recorded in 2025.
”We have been working with state governments in Gombe, Adamawa and Bauchi states to reach every eligible child. Thousands and thousands of zero dose children have been reached and immunized in deprived, vulnerable and remote communities,” she said.
She thanked her team in UNICEF for their commitment and dedication to the cause of the children leading to the great feats attained noting that 2026 will be a year for consolidation and further attainments.
