FG launches campaign to protect over 28m children against measles, meningitis
Children in the 19 Northern states are to be vaccinated in an expanded campaign implemented by the Government of Nigeria and WHO with Gavi support. The federal government yesterday launched a campaign to vaccinate over 28 million children in the country against measles and meningitis in an effort to boost their immunity. The campaign, which […]
Children in the 19 Northern states are to be vaccinated in an expanded campaign implemented by the Government of Nigeria and WHO with Gavi support.
The federal government yesterday launched a campaign to vaccinate over 28 million children in the country against measles and meningitis in an effort to boost their immunity.
The campaign, which was launched through the National Primary Health Care Development Agency (NPHCDA) and the World Health Organisation (WHO), with support from Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, will cover children across the 19 Northern states, namely; Bauchi, Benue, Borno, Kano, Katsina, Plateau, Taraba, Niger, Adamawa, Kaduna and Sokoto.
Others are Gombe, Jigawa, Kebbi, Nasarawa, Yobe, Zamfara, Kwara and the Federal Capital Territory.
Speaking on preparations for the campaign, Dr Joseph Oteri, Director of Disease Control and Immunization, NPHCDA said, “Measles is a highly contagious respiratory viral disease with increased mortality and morbidity in children under five years, and Nigeria has experienced repeated outbreaks of measles in recent years due to low routine immunization coverage.”
He added that Nigeria is within the meningitis belt, where the incidence rate is very high, especially in the North, adding that the government is committed to ensuring that every eligible child is reached with these lifesaving vaccines.
“We will go to markets, schools, churches, mosques and everywhere we can get good catchment to reach our target population. No child deserves to die from any vaccine preventable disease,” he said.
Gavi Country Programmes Managing Director Thabani Maphosa also said, Gavi is committed to supporting Nigeria in achieving its goal of improved immunisation coverage, adding that diseases like measles are both devastating and easily preventable while also saying that more than 21 million lives around the world have been saved with the measles vaccine.
“Furthermore, with so many Nigerians at risk from meningitis every year, immunisation with the MenA vaccine can help to limit outbreaks. Gavi’s work of vaccinating more than 279 million children in Africa’s meningitis belt has shown the ability of the vaccine to reduce the prevalence of the disease.”
For its part, WHO Nigeria has trained over 44,000 health workers and is mobilising over 17,000 vaccination teams to support the campaigns.
The WHO Team Lead of the Expanded Programme on Immunization (EPI), Dr Fiona Braka, also said, “the measles vaccine remains the most cost-effective preventive measure against measles and WHO is committed to supporting the Nigerian government in reaching every eligible child in the country with the needed vaccines irrespective of their location.”