Tasiu Amadu/Sumaila LGA, Government of Kano State
14 December –The Local Government Area (LGA) of Sumaila, in Kano State, was among the worst-performing when it came to vaccinating children against polio. When the Governor of Kano put out his July ranking of LGAs, Sumaila came 23rd out of 44. During the Lot Quality Assurance Sampling (LQAS) – a statistical method to determine the proportion of children remaining unvaccinated after a campaign – 13 children were found without the requisite marked fingers. By November, however, Sumaila made giant strides in its programme to reach children – not a single unmarked finger was found, and the LGA came first in the ranking, winning the Governor’s Award.
Ibrahim Koné, the WHO official responsible for supporting the local government, puts this speedy progress down to team motivation. “It’s not only about technique – we know the technique. It’s about the people.” Motivating the team, and instituting proper planning and training is what made the difference, according to Koné. When preparations were sub-optimal, the round was delayed in order to devote more time to getting the basics right.
Sumaila has over 61,000 children under five years of age, the target group for polio vaccination. Now these children, born into this mostly rural LGA with its large Fulani population now have a fighting chance against polio thanks to their vaccination teams.
In the photo from left, Ibrahim Koné (WHO Technical Officer) celebrates with his colleagues Ado Mussa Jogana (Sumaila LGA Primary health care coordinator), Al Haj Bashiru Abubacar (Magami ward traditional leader), Sani Ibrahim (LGA immunization officer), Al Haj Ibrahim Ado Bayero (Traditional chief of Sumaila LGA), Ado Indabawa (WHO LGA facilitator) and Ibrahim Rabiu (LGA health educator).
