Silence on why Taraba state came first in the just concluded Human Papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination in the country, have been broken by the State Primary Health Care Development Agency (TSPHCDA).
The exercise, it would be recalled, has been recently carried out in sixteen selected states in the country, including the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).
In a chart recently made public by the National Primary Health Care Development Agency (NPHCDA), Taraba, as noticed by The Guardian, tops the chart as the state where eligible persons came out en-mass to be vaccinated.
The exercise, which was aimed at preventing certain types of HPV that can lead to cancer or genital warts, was said to have been successful in Taraba following the collective efforts of the state government and the Social Mobilization Committee (SMC).
Making the announcement yesterday during the SMC meeting which took place at the conference hall of the Agency, which is located at the state secretariat, the Executive Secretary of the agency, Dr. Tukura Nyigwa, who did not only showered encomiums on the traditional institution in ensuring the success of the exercise in their domains, also paid glowing tribute to the state chapter of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), and the Muslim Council of Nigeria (MCN).
The leadership of CAN and MCN were said to have taken advantage of their worship Centres to educate their members on why they must not hesitate to make their eligible young ones available for the vaccination.
Stressing how the two bodies worked round the clock to sensitise their adherents to accept the vaccine, the need for all hands to be on deck to ensure the success of the forthcoming National Immunization Plus Days (NPIDs), he believed has become necessary.
The Executive Secretary, who also announced that the state came third in the last NIPDs, believed that if the energies expanded in the HPV vaccination exercise is tilted towards the NIPDs, the ranking of the state in the national immunisation plus, he believed will move from third to first.
While calling on the media not to cease using their platforms to dispel the myths and misconceptions surrounding the vaccines, the need for the state government to extend the much-desired olive branch to the agency, he believed can no longer be overemphasised.
Aligning his weight to that of the ES, the chairman of the Committee who doubled as the Galadima Muri, Alhaji Abbas Tuktur, said the Committee will leave no stone unturned in ensuring that all the eligible children spread across the nooks and crannies of the state are reached with the relevant vaccinations.
On their part, the leadership of the two major regions reiterated their commitment to always sensitise their members on the importance of the various routine immunizations.
At the time of filing this report, the agency also announced that it has received delivery of 1,146,400 doses of vaccine for the forthcoming NIPDs.
Follow The Trumpet on all our social media platforms for more updates:
