Zamfara to vaccinate over one million against Yellow Fever

From Ibrahim Sidi Muh’d, Gusau

The Zamfara state government in collaboration with World Health Organization (WHO), UNICEF, SCI and MNCH has Flagged off vaccination exercise against Yellow fever across the identified local government areas of the state comprising Maradun, Anka, Maru and Gusau the state capital.
Speaking during Flagg off ceremony at Gusau emirate council yesterday, the state Acting governor, Malam Ibrahim Wakkala said, Zamfara state has been confirmed by the Dakar laboratory of taking 67% of Yellow fever cases across the country out of the 260 suspected cases earlier recorded.
“A total of 260 cases were line-listed from 12 states, out of which 122 suspected cases have had their blood samples collected and sent to laboratory for confirmation of Yellow fever, 27 samples were confirmed positive by the Dakar laboratory and 18 out of the 27 confirmed cases are from Zamfara state”, Wakkala stated.
Earlier, the state Coordinator World Health Organization (WHO), Dr. Hamza Kankiya pronounced that, 612,000 out of over one million targeted have already been vaccinated during the just concluded first phase of the exercise, assuring that, the second phase will cover the required number across the state.
“Adequate number of vaccines were provided as well as vaccination personnel covering multitude number of centers across the 14 local government councils of the state aimed at ensuring that, the state is Yellow fever-free within scheduled time as level of cooperation given to the exercise by the targeted communities is commendable”, Dr. Kankiya assured.
Also speaking, the state Commissioner of health and the emir of Gusau, Alhaji Sulaiman Adamu Gummi and Alhaji Ibrahim Bello respectively called on people in the state, to attend the vaccination exercise with a view to achieve the desired goals, adding that, the vaccination is absolutely free, therefore, should spare time to for the exercise to be successful.