Immunisation: Agency Targets 63 Million Children

The National Primary Health Care Development Agency (NPHCDA) has begun another round of immunisation of 50 million children against poliomyelitis and 13 million against measles.

“A national vaccination campaign to reach millions of Nigerian children under five with measles and oral polio vaccines continues this week, a statement from the agency stated.

“Hundreds of thousands of health workers and community leaders are mobilising to reach 50 million children with oral polio vaccine, and another 13 million with measles vaccine,” it stated.

The statement stated that the integrated vaccination campaign began in January, distributing measles vaccines to states in the northern part of the country and oral polio vaccine nationwide.

The second phase includes measles vaccine for children from nine months to 59 months of age in the 17 southern states and oral polio vaccine nationwide to all children under five years.

It explained that the vaccination campaign was a key strategy in the country’s effort to protect all Nigerian children from vaccine-preventable diseases, eradicate crippling polio and control measles.

The statement quoted the Executive Director, Dr Muhammad Pate, as saying that “polio and measles viruses do not discriminate. These diseases are a threat to all of our children, no matter their socio-economic status, religion, or gender.

“Therefore all Nigerian families should have their young children vaccinated during this critical campaign. Vaccines will protect every Nigerian child”.

Pate said further that through vaccination, the agency was on the verge of eradicating polio in Nigeria and also reducing the threat of measles.

He noted that in order to succeed, the agency must be relentless in its planning and outreach.

“ Health workers will be in every city, village and settlement during this campaign, and every parent has a wonderful opportunity to give their children the gift of vaccine”, Pate said in the statement.

It stated that the agency was strategically timing these campaigns to protect children now that measles outbreaks are a threat.

Measles weakens a child’s immune system, and besides the rash, can cause severe illness and death, while polio vaccine is to protect children before the rainy season, when the crippling polio virus tends to surge, it stated.

The statement urged families to avail their youngest children of routine immunisation, which is available at health facilities nationwide throughout the year.