Nursing mothers and pregnant women in Cross River State, now heave a sigh of relief, as the UNICEF routine immunization programme against killer diseases and other health programmes for women and children, have been carried to the nooks and crannies of the state. This has recorded a tremendous reduction in maternal and child mortality rate in this part of the country.

 Appraising the UNICEF policy thrust on women and children health care, a cross session of women who spoke to our correspondent during the June 2010 Maternal New Born and Child Health Week in the state, said they were convinced that their life expectancy has increased, as cases of maternal death, stillbirth, infant mortality have been significantly addressed.

 The women, who thronged the various health facilities in Biase, Ikom and Etung  local  government areas for the ongoing immunization exercise said since the health programme was introduced, they have enjoyed good health, with a drastic reduction in congenital defects amongst children,

 When The Tide spoke to Mrs. Abigail Nkanu and Rose Ogaraekpe, mothers said to have been plagued with several child problems, in Biase local government  area,  however, commended the UNICEF and the Nigerian Government, for the integrated health programme, stressing that, routine immunization and ante-natal health care had made me to believe that maternal and child mortality are not caused by witches, as most people in the area were made to believe.

 Speaking with our correspondent in Etome, Okoroba, Abijang and Nsotang all in Etung local government area of the State, Mrs. Agnes Orim and Christiana Ojua regretted that prior to the UNICEF Health programme,  they had lost several babies including  cases of stillbirth, apparently as a result of lack of immunization against killer diseases and proper ante-natal care.

 The State Technical Facilitator (STF) of the programme in charge of the area, who described the women and children turnout for the exercise as  unprecedentedly said in her area of coverage, a total of 2,147 persons were immunized on the first day of the exercise, in 17 health facilities out of the 29 in the council area.

 As at the time of going to the press, it was discovered that figures from various other health facilities had not reached the collation centre at Etung women and due to the large terrain and inadequate arrangement for transportation for the facilitators.

 Although, most of the health facilities across the three local government  areas  were less populated on the second day of the exercise (SUNDAY), the State Technical Facilitator said the injectable and oral vaccines were taken to churches, as most members of target audience were said to have left their house for routine Sunday worship.

 At Ikom local  government area The Tide also gathered that there was remarkable change in the attitude of the people to government health programmes, as most women who were alleged to have refused to participate in previous exercise, reportedly decided to embrace the ongoing immunization.

 In all the three local government areas, it was reported that cases of malaria, worm infection and malnutrition have reduced while polio, measles and  tuberculosis were said to have become very rare in all the communities.