Edo State will join the rest of the country in observing the National Immunization Plus Days scheduled to take place from May 3 to May 8, 2025. 

This was confirmed by Dr Eseigbe Efomon, Director of Disease Control and Immunization at the Edo State Primary Health Care Development Agency (EDSPHCDA), who emphasised the importance of the campaign in halting the transmission of the circulating variant poliovirus and protecting every child under the age of five from the dangers of polio meningitis, a condition that can lead to permanent disability or even death.

Throughout the campaign period, dedicated healthcare workers will move across various communities, worship centres, schools, markets, and other public places, ensuring that every eligible child is vaccinated. 

Dr Efomon appealed to parents and caregivers to seize the opportunity to protect their children, highlighting that immunisation not only shields the individual child but also fortifies the health and immunity of the wider community. 

Stressing the importance of full coverage, he noted that by safeguarding every child, the state was safeguarding the future of its people, while assuring that the vaccines are safe, free, and highly effective.

In preparation for the exercise, a stakeholders’ meeting was convened where members of the Social Mobilisation Committee were briefed on their roles and responsibilities during the immunisation period. 

Addressing the gathering, the State Health Educator, Mrs Irene Uabor, reiterated the importance of the exercise in preventing vaccine-preventable diseases. 

She warned that although Edo State had not yet recorded any cases, the circulating poliovirus had been detected in other parts of the country, and beyond, making the upcoming vaccination drive a critical and proactive measure to prevent its spread into the state.

Mrs Uabor disclosed that during the exercise, oral polio vaccines would be administered on the targeted population and used the occasion to solicit the cooperation of stakeholders in creating awareness about the exercise