The Katsina State Government, in collaboration with UNICEF and other health partners, has announced plans to vaccinate 4.8 million children aged 9 months to 14 years against Rubella during the forthcoming Integrated Polio and Measles-Rubella (MR) Vaccination Campaign.
The campaign, aimed at tackling preventable childhood diseases, will run from October 6 to 13, 2025 across the state.
Dual Campaign: Rubella and Polio Vaccines
Alongside the Rubella vaccination, Katsina has also received 3,698,500 doses of the Novel Oral Polio Vaccine (nOPV2), targeting 2.3 million children under the age of five. These will be administered through the Directly Observed Oral Polio Vaccination (DOOPV) method to ensure full coverage.
The Chief of UNICEF Field Office in Kano, Rahama Farah, disclosed this during a media dialogue on the integrated campaign in Katsina, attended by representatives from the National Emergency Operations Centre, WHO, and the Katsina State Primary Healthcare Agency.
Deployment of Health Teams
Farah explained that a total of 2,253 vaccination teams would be deployed between October 4 and 13, 2025, using a mix of fixed and temporary posts.
In addition, 5,584 teams will provide routine immunisation and other antigens from October 6 to 10, 2025. These include:
- 3,761 house-to-house teams
- 993 transit and special point teams
- 830 fixed post teams
To ensure smooth execution, UNICEF has supported the training of 3,300 health workers to improve people-handling skills, and 600 Non-Compliance Resolution Teams (NCRTs) to address resistance in communities.
Tackling Non-Compliance
Highlighting the importance of community involvement, Farah revealed that 200 NCRTs, each made up of a community leader, traditional leader, and vaccinator, will be deployed to resolve non-compliance in real time during the campaign.
He added that UNICEF and Katsina State have mobilised:
- 6 state facilitators
- 21 LGA facilitators
- 462 voluntary ward supervisors (VWSs)
- 4,647 voluntary community mobilisers (VCMs)
These groups will drive awareness and encourage parents to make children available for vaccination.
Role of Media and Public Awareness
Farah urged the media to actively support the campaign by sharing accurate information about vaccines, mobilising caregivers, and countering misinformation.
He stressed that vaccines provided by the government are free, safe, and effective, and that collective efforts are needed to eradicate polio and prevent Rubella in Katsina and across Nigeria.
National Outlook
The Katsina campaign is part of a nationwide integrated Measles-Rubella and Polio campaign, to be implemented across all 36 states of Nigeria in two phases, running from October 6, 2025, to February 13, 2026.
For Katsina, the campaign will be fully executed from October 6 to 13, 2025, with health officials confident it will mark a major step forward in protecting children and strengthening public health.
