Kano State government has commenced the second round of the Maternal and Neonatal Tetanus Elimination (MNTE) campaign to vaccinate women of reproductive age and reach communities missed during the first phase of the exercise.

The Commissioner for Health, Abubakar Labaran, launched the campaign on Monday at the Kano Emergency Operations Centre (EOC).

He said the exercise was aimed at protecting mothers and newborns from a preventable but deadly disease.

The commissioner described maternal and neonatal tetanus as a serious health challenge that could be eliminated through effective vaccination, community mobilisation and improved maternal healthcare services.

He added that “maternal and neonatal tetanus is deadly, but it is entirely preventable. By protecting women of reproductive age, we also give newborns a safer start to life.

“This campaign is not merely about administering vaccines; it is about preventing avoidable deaths, protecting families and strengthening the health of our communities.”

During the first round of the campaign conducted in May across 18 high-risk local government areas, Mr Labaran said the state deployed 906 vaccination teams comprising 272 fixed-post teams and 634 temporary fixed-post teams.

He said the teams vaccinated 1,339,871 women out of the 1,388,396 targeted, representing 96.5 per cent administrative coverage.

The commissioner added that the campaign reached 10,139 settlements, representing 90 per cent of the planned coverage, but noted that 1,191 settlements were not reached.

He explained that “every unreached settlement may contain women who remain unprotected, and Round Two provides an important opportunity to close these gaps and ensure that no eligible woman is left behind.”

He said that although a few non-serious adverse events following immunisation were recorded during the first round, all affected persons received appropriate medical attention in line with vaccine safety protocols.

The commissioner said the second round would, therefore, focus on the same 18 high-risk local government areas, with special attention to underserved, hard-to-reach and previously missed communities.

He added that vaccination would be conducted through health facilities and temporary vaccination posts established at markets, schools, places of worship and other public locations.

Mr Labaran assured residents that vaccines, logistics and trained personnel had been deployed for the exercise, while supportive supervision, community engagement and mop-up activities would be intensified to improve coverage.

He urged women aged 15 to 49 years to take advantage of the free vaccination programme, emphasising that “the vaccine is free, safe and essential for protection against maternal and neonatal tetanus.

“Women who received a dose during Round One should also receive the next recommended dose to build stronger and longer-lasting protection.”

The commissioner appealed to husbands, parents, traditional and religious leaders, civil society organisations and the media to support the campaign by encouraging eligible women to get vaccinated.

He reaffirmed the state government’s commitment to improving maternal and child health through investments in immunisation, quality antenatal care, skilled birth attendance, clean delivery practices and stronger primary healthcare services.

Mr Labaran commended development partners, including the National Primary Health Care Development Agency (NPHCDA), UNICEF, WHO, Rotary, AFENET and the Gates Foundation, as well as local government authorities, traditional institutions, community leaders and frontline health workers, for supporting the campaign.

He said every woman reached, dose administered and settlement covered would bring Kano closer to eliminating maternal and neonatal tetanus. 

(NAN)