Resumed polio immunisation: Mixed reactions from Kano
Despite the order for
the resumption of
the oral polio vacci-nation in Kano State and the launching of the exercise by the governor, Mallam Ibrah-im Shekarau in Takai penult-imate week, there is a general mixed reaction to the exercise as some parents have agre-ed to allow their children get the polio shots while others still have reservations about the exercise.
Some of the people interviewed by Kano Trust indicated their acceptance of the oral polio immu-nization while others still disregard the exercise and refused to offer their child-ren for the controversial vaccination.
Alhaji Ibrahim Sani Ibrahim who has accepted the exercise said he offered his children for the oral polio vaccine because according to him “our leaders would not introduce to us some-thing that will harm us.” Alhaji Ibrahim Sani who was a trailer driver with the Dangote Group said that he became confident and satisfied with the expla-nation made by specialist doctors who verified the issues after series of tests were carried out in various countries.
He further explained that he was in full support of the state government’s decision to suspend the exercise and that now that the governor has endorsed it together with medical experts then people including him have no reason to reject it. Acc-ording to Ibrahim, “Islam has ordered us to obey our leaders provided they are obeying Allah’s command and from all indications Shekarau has done a lot about the polio business all with the view to protecting the interest of his people.”
Contrary to this view, Muhammad Bello Hotoro, on his part emphasized that his children will not be immunised because he still have doubts about the safety of the vaccine. He questioned the rationale behind federal govern-ment’s and W.H.O’s deci-sion to force the exercise on the people. He queried: “is it only polio that is killing our children in Nigeria. So why polio immunisation.” He added that “if Western non governmental organi-sations really want to assist us, they should extend their assistance to the area of other diseases” He opined that apart from this, “we don’t have enough drugs in our hospitals, we lack doc-tors, our primary, seco-ndary schools and tertiary instit-utions need attention; why can’t they assist us in these areas.” He advised that they should sponsor our youths to study abroad so as to fill such gaps and enable the country to progress.
Yet another person, Mall-am Abubakar Saba expressed bitterness that last year his I-year old daughter Rufaidah Abubakar seriously suffered when she was vaccinated against polio during the last exercise that was held in the state before the suspension. He explained that he was told at the hospital that she was given overdose and that when he asked his wife on how the immunisation was done he said that our dauhter received several drops of oral polio vaccine from one of the polio immunisation exercise officials.
Mallam Abubakar Sabo therefore said that since he had this experience he decided not to present his children for immunisation this time around and he even went ahead to warn his wife not to allow any immu-nisation official to vaccinate his children. He however called on government to ensure the recruitment of mature people for the exercise saying that most of them are not matured and well trained.
Alhaji Haliru Babura, Sheka, Kano a Businessman said that he is satisfied with the explanation of gover-nment over this issue. “ I cannot al1ow my children to be given the vaccine because of the controversy that followed it since the begi-nning. As a Muslim I believe every disease has a cure and Allah is the ultimate curer of diseases.
In his views the governor has done his best to protect the interest of people. “The decision is now left to us to bring our children for the immunisation or not,” Haliru said.
Mallam Idris Gambo, a tailor at Tudun Maliki, Kano corroborates this view when he said: “I believe in the Hadith of our holy prophet that when in doubt of any-thing, leave out. Since contr-oversy has trailed the polio vaccine, I did not bel-ieve in giving out my children to be immunised. Allah will protect them for me. We also learnt that the governor was press-urized by Obasanjo to allow them do the vaccination in Kano so that he can get Ame-rican assistance.
Hajiya Binta Abubakar, mother and housewife, said she believes Shekarau will not deceive the people. “He has shown his rejection when it was discovered that the vaccines were contam-inated.
But since he has now said that it is save I will bel-ieve him because he is a God-fearing man and will account for his deeds. I will therefore submit my children for the polio vaccination,” Hajiya Binta said.
Meanwhile, some ad-hoc officials of the immunisation exercise who spoke to Kano Trust expressed dismay over the nonchalant attitude of some parents regarding the vaccination. Though they disclosed that some parents complied with the directive, the exercise was not fully accepted by some others.
An ad hoc official, Sham-sudden, Musa 18 years old told, Kano Trust that he has lost confidence in the succ-ess of the exercise right from the beginning as most of the houses he visited did not cooperate with him. Sham-sudden who covered Fagge D1 in Fagge local council stated that in the first day, he visited 16 houses in the area but no single house agreed to offer their children for the vaccination. He pointed out that he went to an lslamiyyah school hut unfortunately the teacher asked him to leave the place even as the students all ran away from the school so that they will not be immunised. Another ad hoc official Malama Sa’adiya Bello who was covering Kura local government area of the state disclosed that while some parents supported the exercise by presenting their children for immunisation others still refused to bring out their wards for the oral polio vaccination. Sa’adiya also told Kano Trust that some parents even alleged that apart from the conta-mination, the vaccine has substances that cause infert-ility to women, and that the vaccine could also result to contacting HIV/AIDS.
It could be recalled that the oral polio vaccination was suspended in Kano on August 13, 2003 following series of complaints by the general public alleging that it is unsafe. The state gover-nment after it summoned a meeting with all the stakeh-olders in the state over the issue also set up two sep-arate committees to inves-tigate the controversial issue. The second committee made up of medical experts and headed by professor Sadiq Wali conducted various tests in both Nigeria and abroad and later submitted the report to the government confirming the safety of the vaccine.
Following the comm-ittee’s satisfaction on the safety of the vaccine, the state government called ano-ther meeting with the stak-eholders where the comm-ittee members briefed them about its investigation on the vaccine. Later Governor Ibrahim Shekarau directed the resumption of the exercise in the whole state. The launching of the resu-med polio vaccination was held in Takai local govern-ment council led by the state governor were he immunised Muhammad Salihu Sagir and Maryam Salihi Sagir both children of the sate commi-ssioner for water resources.
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