The District Governor, Rotary International District 9111, Henry Akinyele, says immunising children aged zero to five years remains a crucial step towards maintaining polio-free future for the world.
Akinyele said this at a mass sensitisation and immunisation of children from zero to five years to commemorate the 2025 World Polio Day on Thursday in Gwagwalada.
The 2025 World Polio Day theme is “Finishing the Job: Our Legacy for a Polio-Free World.”
The district governor said that Rotary Club had been in the fore front in eradicating polio, which a life-threatening disease was caused by polio virus.
“We have embarked on this for over three decades ago because we understand that this virus is very deadly. We as Rotarians have taken it upon ourselves in making sure that polio is eradicated worldwide.
“In Nigeria we have been able to keep polio at zero, but we understand that it is a threat if it is still endemic in some parts of the world.
“We know it is still around in Afghanistan and Pakistan that is why we are carrying out a mass immunisation all over the world, where Rotary Club exists,” he said.
The District Governor, Rotary International, District 9111, Rtn. Henry Akinyele, administrating polio vaccine on a child during the polio immunisation on Thursday in Gwagwalada.
He said there was no limit to the number of children to be vaccinated, adding that they are going to move round the community to vaccinate as many children as possible.
He dispelled the myth that vaccines were means to reduce the population of the country, adding that ‘it is not true’.
Akinyele advised mothers to avail their children the opportunity to be vaccinated as this would help to prevent them from contracting poliomyelitis that was caused by the poliovirus.
Similarly, a rotary member, Kenny Okorie, said that the immunisation exercise was one of the important projects from Rotary International to demonstrate their love for children.
Okorie said that the aim was to ensure that every child was vaccinated, adding that “no parent wants his/her child to be deformed.
“We want every child to be immunised because we know what polio does to children; deformity is what no parent wants in his child”.
She expressed satisfaction over the turnout of mothers in ensuring that their children were vaccinated.
She said that the vaccine was strictly funded by Rotary International and Rotarians worldwide, adding that there was no funding from the government.
Mrs Doreen Chat, mother to one of the beneficiaries, expressed her joy and thanked Rotary International for bringing the initiative to their community.
The Polio Day is marked every Oct. 24 to raise awareness on the importance of polio vaccination to protect every child from the devastating disease. (NAN)
