Abuja, 17 July,2014 - The Kano and Kaduna State WHO teams have introduced blood pressure measuring as part of services rendered at health camps during the July outbreak immunization response exercise conducted from 12-15th July 2014 in the areas considered transmission zone due to on-going wild polio virus transmission, isolation of WPV from environmental samples and polio compatible cases.

Already, 2,065 patients have been screened for hypertension in 30 health camps of 2 Local Government Areas (LGAs) of Kano and Kaduna States and many clients confirmed that it was the first time their blood pressure was measured.

Speaking on the significance of the additional services at health camps, Dr. Bashir Abba the WHO Kano State Coordinator (SC) mentioned that ‘high blood pressure is, in most cases, both preventable and treatable. The risk of developing high blood pressure can be minimized through lifestyle changes alone, but for others, medication might be required. Unlike many other diseases, uncomplicated hypertension has no clear signs or symptom.  Therefore, people go about with dangerously high blood pressures that remain undetected.  This is why there is need to regularly screen the blood pressure’.

Due to aforementioned perilous condition, the SC disclosed that WHO supported the placement of stethoscopes and sphygmomanometer at twenty-two (22) health camps during IPDs where immunizations, other health services are provided to often deprived, under-served and hard-to-reach communities to offer the opportunity for screening undetected hypertension.

On his part, the Chairman of Gwale LGA, Alhaji Abdullahi Z Imam, one of the 15 LGAs where the special WPV outbreak response immunization, applauded the spirit behind the additional booth for checking  blood pressure amongst adults alongside other health interventions at the Health camps. He pledged to give any additional support required to improve the health of the people in subsequent rounds of immunization exercises since he noted that ‘the intervention has increased the confidence of the populace in the programme.’

In a related development, a traditional leader in Soba LGA of Kaduna State Alhaji Sani Hallidu has lauded the introduction of additional services at health camps which he insisted ‘has assisted greatly in reduction of non-compliance and rejection of the Oral Polio Vaccine’.

It could be recalled that, WHO realized the need to step-up efforts in demand creation and among the “home-grown” innovations implemented in 2013 that positively improved the quality of polio SIAs, was the piloting of health camps with WHO technical and financial support as the panacea for reaching chronically missed children due to non-compliance and insecurity.

01 Measuring Blood Pressure At Soba LGA Of Kaduna State

02 Health Camp

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Charity Warigon | Communication Officer,
Email:  warigonc [at] who.int