The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNI CEF) is unhappy that Bauchi State has 556,000 zero dose children, thereby putting their chances of survival at risk.

The Chief of Field Office (CFO), Bauchi Field Of –

fice of UNICEF, Dr Nuzhat Rafique while handing over 2.5m doses of polio vaccines to the state government preparatory to the 2025 polio vaccination campaign yesterday said the high number is alarming, especially in 13 local government areas.

Speaking at the State Cold store situated inside the premises of the Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University Teaching Hospital (ATBUTH) Bauchi, Rafique said:

“As you know and as I earlier stated, Polio campaign is starting in the 13 Zero Dose LGAs on the 24th and then the entire State on 26th to 29th of April. “This is very critical, very important, it is a make or break event for us.

This two campaigns this year are the last chance for Nigeria and for Bauchi to contribute towards the eradication of Polio in Nigeria.”

She added: “This is because Bauchi is one of the Zero Dose states with 13 out of 20 LGAs with zero dose children. “Zero dose children means that no vaccines has ever reached them and it is comprising of over 556,000 children who have never received any vaccination, so you can imagine how highly risk they are.”