Prevention of measles, meningitis in FCT

Measles is an acute viral respiratory illness that is highly contagious, and on average, one infected person can give 12-18 persons. The symptoms of measles include skin rash, fever, runny nose and cough but can aggravate to brain damage, blindness and even death. Measles is transmitted through direct contact with infectious droplets or by airborne […]

Measles is an acute viral respiratory illness that is highly contagious, and on average, one infected person can give 12-18 persons. The symptoms of measles include skin rash, fever, runny nose and cough but can aggravate to brain damage, blindness and even death. Measles is transmitted through direct contact with infectious droplets or by airborne spread through cough, breathing or sneezing, and the virus can stay airborne up to two hours after a patient leaves a room. 

Meningitis on the other hand is inflammation of the protective membrane covering the brain and spinal cord. Around 10 people who get infected, one in five have severe complications, and could be transmitted by respiratory droplets or throat secretions. Symptoms include severe headache, stiff or painful neck, high fever and convulsions. 

It is against this backdrop that an immunization campaign for measles, meningitis, Vitamin A supplementation and other primary health care services for FCT residents will be conducted, in collaboration with the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), on November 3-14th. 

The vaccination, which would be staggered, involves meningitis target group of 8–9-year-olds, measles for 9–59-month-olds, and Vitamin A for 6–59-month-old children, and would be conducted in all six area councils of Abuja. 

During the vaccination, there would also be routine immunization for measles, COVID-19 and birth registration. 

Immunization teams would be deployed to schools to vaccinate children while some groups would be at fixed and temporary posts at designated health facilities or the village head’s palace including churches and mosques. 

It is therefore essential to maintain high vaccination coverage to control vaccine-preventable diseases in schools and communities, hence this call specially to mothers, to ensure their children under five years, the vulnerable and eligible persons get the free and safe vaccination to prevent them from contracting measles and meningitis.  

 

Dr Ruqayyat Wammako, Dir. Primary Health Care, FCTPHCB