Yobe Targets 80% Vaccination Coverage By 2026

The Yobe State Government has reaffirmed its commitment to reaching 80 per cent vaccination coverage by 2026 as it intensifies efforts to close immunisation gaps and protect children from vaccine-preventable diseases.

The State Commissioner for Health, Dr Mohammed Lawan Gana, while disclosing this during a media dialogue and field mission to commemorate the 2025 World Immunisation Week, noted that urgent and strategic action is needed, especially in underserved and vaccine-hesitant communities.

The media dialogue was organised by UNICEF in partnership with the Child Rights Information Bureau (CRIB) of the Federal Ministry of Information and National Orientation.

Gana acknowledged the state’s progress, including a 65 per cent vaccine coverage rate, but, however, stressed that the remaining 35 per cent of unvaccinated children pose a serious public health risk, contributing to repeated outbreaks of diseases such as diphtheria, cholera, cerebrospinal meningitis, and vaccine-derived polio.

“To achieve herd immunity and safeguard our communities, we must reach at least 80 per cent coverage by next year,” he said.

He also urged health workers to avoid missing fixed immunisation sessions and emphasised the need to prioritise hard-to-reach and zero-dose communities, particularly in areas with low vaccine uptake.

Quoting Gana, “Here in Yobe State, we have been recording outbreaks of diphtheria. We’ve seen outbreaks of cerebrospinal meningitis, especially Type C. We have seen outbreaks of even acute watery diarrhoea, sometimes cholera, and others.

“Despite all this, we have recorded a lot of success in the sense that when you compare the 2023 and the 2018 National Demographic Health Surveys, you can see that we have made moderate or modest progress in that regard.

“The desire is actually to get up to 80 per cent to 90 per cent of the population for you to be able to achieve herd immunity.

“So, because of all these issues and, of recent, the record of type 2 circulating vaccine-derived polio viruses, and then sadly the type 3 in one of the local government areas has been a wake-up call to the entire team, not only the team here in the state but nationally.”

Also speaking, Director of Disease Control and Immunisation at the Yobe State Primary Health Care Management Board, Dr. Umar Chiroma, noted that in 2024, 17.5 per cent of children in the state were classified as zero-dose, meaning they had not received any routine vaccinations.

“Two local government areas, Geidam and Gunani, were flagged nationally for having the highest burden of zero-dose children,” Chiroma said. He, however, added that the state is working towards ensuring that the health system is integrated to serve the communities better.

The Borno State Immunisation Officer at the State Primary Health Care Agency, Maina Modu, said that the state is intensifying efforts to reduce the number of zero-dose children.

Modu further stated that additional outreach activities are being implemented in hard-to-reach settlements to ensure no child is left behind, noting that eligible children are also being vaccinated at transit team points to receive missed or overdue vaccines.

He also added that the efforts are part of a broader Big Catch-Up strategy, which includes targeted local responses tailored to specific community needs.

Meanwhile, UNICEF Health Officer Mr Bashir Elegbede highlighted that to meet the global targets, there is a need to reduce the number of zero-dose children by 25 per cent by 2025 and 50 per cent by 2030.

Elegbede urged all stakeholders to strengthen vaccination platforms and ensure equitable access to routine immunisation.

He further reiterated the call for collaboration between government agencies, traditional leaders, healthcare workers, and development partners to ensure no child is left behind.

Yobe Targets 80% Vaccination Coverage By 2026 is first published on The Whistler Newspaper